finders fee
by SSJFlash
Summary: look


Marron was still slumped against the door gathering her wits from Goku's visit when Trunks's key turned in the lock. She jumped up, a flush rising to her cheeks, and turned to greet him. Chase was still watching his cartoon and had noticed nothing out of the ordinary. It could have been five minutes or fifty since Goku left but she was too flustered to notice.

"Trunks…"

He stepped inside and closed the door before turning to regard her closely. His eyes never left her face as he unbuttoned his coat and hung it up, but he didn't speak. Marron felt her blush deepening.

"I'm sorry I'm late"

She nodded, still not knowing quite what to say.

"Goten asked me to pass these on to you…he's written on them when he needs them back"

Trunks knelt and rifled through his briefcase, pulled out a sheaf of papers and handed them to her. As she reached for them, he caught her hand and examined it.

"How did you cut your finger?"

"It's nothing serious…I just broke a glass while washing up"

It wasn't that she intended to keep Goku's visit a secret but the lie came out so easily. Somehow she felt uncomfortable telling Trunks the whole truth. But not mentioning it made her feel dishonest too…

"Marron…"

Trunks tightened his grip on Marron's wrist and pulled her a little closer. He was uneasy though he couldn't pinpoint exactly why; it was as if whatever tenuous connection he and Marron had started to form had been severed with the arrival of the Satan's. As if they were more like strangers now than at the strange beginning of their relationship. Trunks couldn't put his feelings into words but he was desperate not to lose that connection. He didn't want to think of the reasons for or consequences of his feelings…but he wanted Marron to know that they were genuine and not designed to impress their guests.

Words failed him and Marron was still silent, looking sightlessly at her feet. Trunks pulled her into a hug and let out a deep sigh, relaxing properly when her arms wound around him too.

They stood that way for a few minutes though it felt like longer. Marron was the first to pull away, fearing that she would lose her hard-earned composure and cry. It was no use…Trunks noticed and felt a sudden pang of guilt. He had been behaving like a child, throwing tantrums and arguing with his friends while Marron was suffering too. For better or for worse they were in this together and the least they could do was support each other.

"What's the matter?"

Marron looked up and met his gaze squarely for the first time that day.

"Trunks, I have to talk to you"

Upstairs Videl was just putting her earrings back on when she heard the front door open and guessed Trunks was back. Gohan was still in the shower so she took her time applying her make-up. Deal aside; this visit had been a good idea for both of them. Gohan tended to try to do too much rather than delegating to others in his company and, as a result, his work often came home with him and intruded on their home life. Videl had accepted when she married him that he was man to whom dedication to his job came as standard and she wouldn't try to change that. However, she could imagine how happy they would be if they could finally have the child they had been wanting for so long. She rubbed her palm across her stomach in an absent-minded, almost nervous manner, praying for a miracle.

Gohan pushed his hair away from his face and turned the shower pressure up even higher, allowing the water to pound his skin. It felt like so long since he had been able to relax with Videl the way they were at the moment. Guilt struck him and he wondered if throwing himself into more work had been his way of dealing with Videl's miscarriage and subsequent illness. Being busy left him less time to dwell on what had happened…but he was still hopeful for good news.

Oddly he found his mind turning to the conversation Videl had overheard between Marron and Goku earlier that day, and her suspicions about Trunks and Marron's relationship. He knew it was wrong to pry but his curiosity had been aroused.

What was it about the circumstances of Chase's birth that Marron didn't want people to know? Had he been born before Marron and Trunks got married? But it was only the most conservative families who would still see that as a disgrace. And why would Goku disapprove of Marron's decisions with regards to Chase? Why would money be mentioned? Could it be…Gohan stopped to consider the options and one jumped out at him. Could it be that Trunks and Marron were having problems and were maybe even considering a divorce? A wave of sympathy washed over him. He could see that that would be something Trunks and Marron would want to conceal from any but their closest friends. And he could also appreciate how his and Videl's visit could have made things even more awkward, especially if they believed that his personal impression of their family would make or break the deal.

Gohan stopped himself before his speculations went too far…he had to remember that they were nothing but speculations at the end of the day. For that reason he would say nothing to Videl about his theories and see what she came up with independently. It seemed unfair, in a way, to analyze Trunks and Marron's behaviour. Gohan had taken a liking to both of them… but he couldn't deny that he was curious.

Trunks followed Marron into the kitchen and sat down at the table with a glass of juice, but she seemed restless, pacing the floor and wiping down counter-tops that were already clean. Trunks sipped his drink calmly, waiting for her to begin.

"Trunks…I'm just not sure about his whole thing. I know it's difficult for us but how much worse is it going to be for Chase?"

Marron paused and threw a cautious glance out of the kitchen door; it wouldn't do to be overheard again. Trunks remained silent and she was despairing of a reply when he finally spoke, "I've been thinking about it too. I spoke to Goten and Goku about it…but none of us can think of any other option right now"

Marron started at the mention of Goku's name but Trunks didn't seem to notice. His words filled her with a quiet desperation – he was right; they had no other options. Her head hurt from thinking and worrying…she was going round in circles.

She shook her head, "Let's go and get ready to eat. I have to get out of this house!"

Videl jumped at a knock on the door and then smiled at her silliness. She opened it to reveal Marron.

"Videl, Trunks and I just wanted to let you two know that we're thinking of heading to the restaurant in about forty-five minutes if that's okay with you? It's not a formal restaurant, just a little noodle bar where we like to eat so you don't need to dress up."

Videl nodded, "That sounds great…Gohan should be just about ready in a few minutes so we'll just come on downstairs"

Marron smiled back at her, "I was planning to cook but we thought it would be a shame if you came here and didn't get to eat at this noodle place – they're the best!"

She turned to go back to the master bedroom, "See you soon!"

Videl restrained the urge to call Marron back and ask her about Goku'a visit, but Marron's cheerfulness seemed like a thin mask straining over her true feelings. Even though Gohan had warned her not to pry she couldn't help wondering exactly what was going on behind the 'happy family' façade.

Marron stepped into the bedroom without knocking and interrupted Trunks getting changed. She looked down, "Sorry"

Contrary to her expectations Trunks smiled, "We're meant to be married…Videl and Gohan might wonder why you knock before going into your own bedroom!"

Marron smiled back and felt some of the tension lift. Trunks seemed to be feeling more hopeful too. They spoke almost simultaneously, "Just a few more days…"

Marron giggled, "If you put it like that, we're almost halfway!"

A shadow passed across Trunks's face but he smiled back at her. He would hold onto the hopeful feelings rather than worrying about what would happen after the Satan's left. They had more than enough to worry about between now and then.

Marron put on some make-up and a pair of earrings, then left Trunks to shower while she went to Chase's room. Despite her tidying earlier that day it looked like a bomb had hit it – a bomb in the shape of Chase. He seemed to have played with each item for about five minutes before getting bored and moving on to the next. Marron stepped carefully over the discarded toys and knelt down beside Chase.

"Boo!"

He giggled and turned round.

"What you doing, baby?

He had the beginnings of a railway track set out in front of him. It was one of his favourite toys. He'd been fascinated by trains since an early age and Marron had spent far too much on a set of wooden tracks, trains and buildings that slotted together to form a village. Without further ado she settled down to play.

Trunks paused at the doorway to Chase's room and his voice died in his throat. There was such a strong connection between Marron and her son and he ached to be part of it. He felt like the day that Marron walked into his office for a job interview, events had been set in motion that changed the predictable path of his life. He had imagined his life continuing much as it had been up until the present. But now things were much more confused…and he couldn't bring himself to complain.

It was later that night, after a fun meal at the noodle bar that Trunks and Marron kissed for the second time.

Everyone had returned home and sat down to chat in the living room, though Chase didn't manage to stay awake for long. The two couples were finally relaxing round each other and the relief of tension on both sides was palpable. Marron was in high spirits and Trunks couldn't keep his eyes off her. He had long since admitted that she was pretty, but when she smiled…

He heard her bid goodnight to Gohan and Videl as he carefully laid Chase in his bed. The boy argued about staying up so stubbornly but never quite managed to stay awake. Trunks was still sitting on the edge of Chase's bed, lost in thought, when Marron came in. As she stood up after kissing Chase goodnight, Trunks stood too.

"I'm sorry"

She stopped, looking confused, "Sorry about what?"

"This", his gesture enveloped everything. He closed the distance between them but didn't touch her. When she looked up at him, he placed both hands on her shoulders and brushed his lips across her forehead. His right hand moved to her cheek and tilted her chin up. Marron knew that she could have stopped it if she had so desired…but the scary thing was that she wanted Trunks to kiss her. It was a short, chaste kiss but Marron stayed in the circle of Trunks's arms and rested her head on his chest. Surviving three days had been hard, but it made it easier just to know that she wasn't in it alone.

She let out a deep sigh and nuzzled closer to Trunks…it had been so long since she had felt protected in anyone's arms. As if hearing her thoughts, Trunks's arms tightened around her.

"Marron…" She looked up, trying to read his expression, "I…."

He trailed off and looked away. Marron felt his hands tense on her back, pulling her body fully against his, then his lips descended on hers once again.

It was a different kiss from before, forceful rather than gentle and Marron reacted before her mind had fully caught up with the situation. Her arms wound around the back of his neck and she kissed him back. When they broke apart they were both breathing a little heavier than usual and Marron looked down, suddenly embarrassed. At least Chase hadn't woken up! She turned to go to her son but Trunks caught her hand. He spoke so quietly she had to strain to hear him.

"Maybe it's not a good idea…but I've wanted to do that all night"

Marron paused, her eyes widening with shock, "Trunks…"

He closed the distance between them and kissed her gently once more, "I'm sorry"

With that he turned and left the room and Marron sunk down onto the edge of the bed once more, staring blankly at the wall in disbelief.

Trunks closed the bedroom door softly behind him and leaned back against it, letting out a sigh he didn't know he had been holding. He couldn't let things go on the way they were going for too much longer…he couldn't think straight. Somehow all his thoughts circled back around to Marron and Chase and nothing else could hold his attention; it wasn't healthy.

The only time he felt any relief from the maelstrom of worries inside his head was when he tried to forget about the business deal and just allowed himself to relax with Marron. The thing he found most frightening though, was just how willing he was to bypass the rational decision-making process that had defined his life up until that point and simply act on impulse. Tonight was the perfect example when he had ignored reason and closed the distance between them, desperate to re-establish the connection that had disappeared when the Satan's arrived.

Marron was obviously troubled, and he hated the fact that he was the cause of her unhappiness. He knew that he couldn't continue blurring the lines between them, but whenever he saw her upset he wanted to do something to fix it. It was like his body moved before his brain had analyzed the situation and forced him into the rational rather than instinctual reaction.

He rubbed his hands across his face suddenly realising just how exhausted he was. It had been a very long day and the negotiations with Gohan Satan were scheduled to start in earnest the next day so he needed to get some rest. He took his time getting ready for bed, waiting for Marron to come in. By the time he got into bed she still wasn't there and Trunks was beginning to get worried. Had he offended her by kissing her? She hadn't seemed unwilling but maybe she was worried that he was going to demand greater intimacy from her…or maybe his attentions had been unwelcome but she felt that she couldn't say anything because of the Satan's presence. He watched the bedroom door unhappily, expecting her to come through it at any moment…but she didn't. Eventually, his exhaustion got the best of him and he fell asleep. But even in his sleep he was waiting for the sound of the door opening…but the sound never came.

Marron woke slowly, taking a second to realise where she was. She was sleeping next to Chase, still fully clothed, the way she used to when he was sick. She pushed his hair back from his forehead and planted a kiss there, trying to shake off the pessimistic cobwebs of thoughts from the night before. Feeling groggy she wandered into the bathroom and splashed water on her face, rubbing away the black smudges of makeup beneath her eyes. Then she let herself into the master bedroom quietly and undressed, slipping into a dressing gown.

The bed was empty; the covers on Trunks's side flipped back, hers undisturbed. Marron sat down on Trunks's side, absentmindedly smoothing the pillow. She could hear the shower pounding against the bathroom wall and wondered what he thought of her not coming to bed. Would it even have bothered him? She felt awkward but also guilty; regardless of whether or not Trunks cared for her outside of the business deal, she couldn't fault the way he had treated her and Chase. It seemed almost unfair for her to indulge her own self-pity when he was also having a difficult time. After all, if she just looked at it as a straightforward business deal she should at least behave professionally and work hard at persuading Gohan and Videl of the charade. Anything beyond the business deal…that could come later.

The bathroom door clicked open and Trunks emerged in a cloud of steam. He looked tired and Marron felt another pang of guilt.

"Good morning"

He nodded a reply, "Morning" before turning his back to get some clothes from the wardrobe. Marron watched his back, his indifference affecting her more than she cared to admit. She stood, taking a breath to say something but the words she wanted wouldn't come. Trunks turned his head to meet her eyes but said nothing. With great effort Marron broke the stare and rushed into the bathroom, shutting the door so quickly it slammed.

Trunks winced but he was too uncertain of his welcome to go after her. When he'd woken up that morning, alone, he had felt almost abandoned. It was funny how quickly he had become accustomed to Marron being and how comfortable he was with waking up with her curled up next to him. But it wasn't as if their relationship, if it could even be called that, had progressed in the normal fashion or even that she was in his bed through choice rather than necessity. He glanced at his watch…not long until negotiations would begin so he needed to focus his mind on his company.

Marron would have to wait.

Videl found Trunks munching on some cereal and reading the newspaper at the kitchen table. He smiled politely as she came in and offered her some tea, but Videl could see that the smile never reached his eyes. He looked like he had a lot on his mind but she didn't know him well enough to ask. Maybe he was nervous about the negotiations later that day? She found herself struggling to think of a topic for conversation, an unusual situation for her. The situation was saved when Gohan entered the room, followed a few moments later by Marron and Chase.

"Good morning"

Chase climbed up on Trunks's knee as if that were his normal seat and yawned before tucking into the cereal Marron put down in front of him. While there had been palpable tension between Marron and Trunks, Chase seemed to diffuse it. Gohan kept the small-talk flowing, never moving away from the safe topics of weather and current events. Videl joined in but kept a curious eye on her hosts. She still found it strange how awkward they seemed around each other.

When Gohan and Videl went upstairs to pick up their bags Marron and Trunks were left alone in the kitchen and there was a moment of silence before they both began to speak at once.

"I'm…"

"About…"

Marron laughed and Trunks's face relaxed, "You first"

Marron smiled shyly, "I'm sorry about the last few days. And…and I want to say thank you for everything no matter what happens afterwards"

Trunks nodded, not sure how to frame his reply. He wasn't usually one to speak his thoughts, "I think…"

He looked at Marron and across at Chase, the confusion settling into a more concrete desire to do right by them.

"Marron, I…" he pushed his hands through his hair in frustration as words failed him. Marron smiled suddenly and leaned forward to take his hands, stopping his agitated motion.

"Don't do that silly! You need to look smart today for the meeting."

Trunks paused for a second, then pulled her into a tight hug, "Thank you"

He took a deep breath and relaxed, enjoying the feeling of having her in his arms.

"Thank you so much Marron"

Marron relaxed too, feeling better than she had since Friday morning when the Satan couple arrived. If she just held onto her optimism they would make it though.

Gohan would be in negotiations with Trunks and the other partners for most of the day, and would also meet some of the senior shareholders in the firm. Videl was touring some areas of interest for her own company as well as acting as Gohan's advisor for the day.

Marron felt a strange sense of freedom at the fact that she wouldn't be involved in any of this. Instead, she would simply be going to a normal day at work. She laughed at how much she was relishing just getting out of the house and doing her own thing, even if it was work. The morning flew past, with her presentation earning her congratulations from the deputy head of the department and a permit to research further. She was humming to herself as she finished up the last of her work before the lunch break when a shadow fell over her desk and she looked up to see Goku. Once again, he was probably the last person she had expected to see.

"Do you have a moment Ms Dorlian?"

"Um, yes of course…Mr Son"

Marron stumbled over the formality of his surname. His use of her surname rather than her first made her uncomfortable – Had she done something wrong? She felt like a child being summoned to the headmaster's office for misbehaviour. Marron flushed, suddenly aware that Goku was speaking and she had missed most of what he had said.

"I'm sorry…"

"I was wondering, Ms Dorlian, if I could trouble you to continue this discussion over lunch?" He leant a little closer so that nobody could overhear, "I feel as if I owe you an apology for yesterday so…"

Marron flushed again, wondering why Goku always made her feel so flustered.

"I'm terribly sorry Mr Son but I've already promised Chase that I would spend lunchtime with him…"

Goku broke in smoothly, "It's no trouble at all. I'll treat you both"

After that, Marron couldn't think of a polite way to decline or any real reason why she should so she accepted gracefully. But a little part of her felt guilty, as if she were doing something wrong.

The conversation was stilted as they walked upstairs to the crèche and Marron began to worry that the lunchtime would simply be a repeat of their disastrous meeting the day before. But Goku seemed determined to make it up to her. Instead of being challenging he was charming and won Chase over by showing him card tricks. Marron was surprised and said so.

"I spend a lot of time with my sister and Lila. You met them, didn't you?

Marron nodded, but didn't interrupt.

"Her boyfriend left her when she got pregnant and it's been a struggle for her to cope with work and a newborn. I've been helping as much as I can but I just wish I could get my hands on him…"

Marron was shocked again. She had imagined Goku to be a very calm and considering person but his tone revealed an underlying fury at the man who had hurt his sister.

"So I'm sorry"

Marron came back to the conversation with a bang, "What?"

"I'm sorry if I was too harsh yesterday. It's just I was angry at what you've had to go through and it came out in the wrong way"

Marron nodded slowly. She didn't know Goku well enough to know what to say back to him and it struck her as odd that he would open up so much to her when he was known for being taciturn. As a matter of fact, the only outgoing personality of the four partners belonged to Goten.

The conversation moved on then to simple getting-to-know-you chatter and Marron was surprised to find herself relaxing. Maybe she could stop being afraid of Goku and perhaps even become friends. Chase seemed to have decided that Goku was the authority on orphanages and the process required to get new parents. Marron laughed as Chase questioned him mercilessly and Goku tried to answer as best he could.

When the time came to head back to the office she was surprised that she felt disappointed. It had been fun. For a second she wondered if it were okay for her to spend time with Trunks's friends like this…would he mind? Surely Goku was just being friendly, right?

Trunks stood up and stretched at his window, already thinking ahead to the continuing negotiations that afternoon. Goten, Gohan, Wufei and the other members of the committee were still downstairs in the company cafeteria but he had returned to the office early to pick up some paperwork for the afternoon session. The morning had gone well, though he imagined that another few meetings would be required before the deal was finalised.

Suddenly he frowned and leaned closer to the glass. There were three people walking towards the company building who he recognized. But he wasn't frowning because of who they were but simply at the fact that they were together. Goku had said he had some business to deal with but would be back in time for the afternoon meetings. Trunks hadn't asked at the time what his "business" entailed but now he was confused. What business did Goku have with Marron and Chase? And why did it bother him so much to see Marron laughing with Goku?

He watched until they entered the shadow of the building and disappeared inside the main entrance, then sat down at the desk and spun side to side on his chair as he thought. Should he ask either of them why they had spent lunchtime together? Did he even have the right to question either of their actions? Even if Marron was actually his wife, she would still have lunch with her own friends and become friends with his – that was just the type of person she was. Then why did it worry him to see her with Goku?

He looked up at a knock on his office door,

"Come in!"

As if summoned by Trunks's thoughts it was Goku.

"Oh, am I early?" the tall man pulled up a seat on the far side of Trunks's desk and sat down. Trunks looked at his watch, "The others will be here in a second. Did you conclude your business?"

Goku nodded, "Yes, thank you…"

He hesitated as if about to say more, then changed the subject, "What do you want to do about the personnel exchange scheme Gohan suggested?"

Trunks answered on auto-pilot, but he was preoccupied.

Why hadn't Goku mentioned that he was with Marron?

And why, most importantly of all, was Trunks feeling the urge to punch him for it?

When he met Marron after work she was humming and swinging arms with Chase.

"You seem to be in a good mood" Trunks observed.

Marron started and blushed slightly, "I like my job"

"How did your presentation go today?"

She looked surprised that he had remembered, "Good, I think. My section head has asked me to research further so I'm planning to mail out a questionnaire and..."

She paused as Trunks reached across and relieved her of the file she had been balancing on her free arm. When he then took her hand in his Marron was speechless.

Trunks glanced down at her, correctly reading her confusion and grinned. Something about seeing her with Goku earlier that afternoon had awakened his competitive spirit. For the time being, at least, Marron was his. And he had another four days to try and make sure it stayed that way. He tried to push his grin down but Marron caught sight of it and smiled too.

"What are you laughing at?"

They continued bickering good-naturedly the whole way to the car and Trunks couldn't help but think that he wouldn't complain if the charade lasted longer. In the sunshine all his doubts and anxieties seemed irrelevant. Things would be okay.

"I have to admit that I'm curious about one thing"

Goten looked up from gathering his paperwork, "What is it?"

"How on earth did family ideals come up during an initial business meeting?"

Wufei leaned on the edge of the desk and folded his arms.

Goten looked a little nervous, "What do you mean?"

"I mean", Wufei inclined his head in the direction that the Satan couple had departed in, "How exactly did you come to the conclusion that Gohan Satan would only negotiate with a family man? He seems like a sensible enough man and I'm sure that he's had to deal with all shapes and sizes of people to make his business as successful as it is."

Goten shuffled his paperwork uncomfortably, "Well, you know, I thought that a family would give us our best shot. Besides Trunks needed a kick in the backside to realise that there's more to life than work."

He stopped, suddenly realising that he had said more than he should.

Wufei's eyes glinted dangerously, "So, you're telling me that the whole 'family' idea wasn't so much one of Gohan Satan's conditions for negotiation as your idea of a blind date?"

"Well, no, its not quite that straightforward...Satan did say it would affect his opinion..."

Wufei interrupted, "You had better pray that Trunks doesn't find out about your loose interpretation of the negotiation terms or he will have your head on a plate!"

He turned as though to leave but Goten called him back,

"Wufei! Just wait and see...it will all work out. Trust me."

As the office door closed behind Wufei Goten took a second to pray that his words weren't just empty reassurances. And it wasn't just for the future of their company; it was for what Goten had witnessed between Trunks and Marron and for the happiness of the family they had created.

Trunks pressed the power button on his PC and settled back into the padded chair. He felt more relaxed than he had in days.

Marron was preparing dinner in the kitchen and had sent him away because they kept on getting in each other's way. Chase seemed a little tired from his day in the crèche so was curled up on the sofa watching cartoons. Gohan and Videl were upstairs showering and getting changed to go out for dinner that evening. All of this had left Trunks at a bit of a loss for what to do so he had wandered into the study with the vague intention of checking his e-mail. Instead he got distracted by the framed photos of their little family that Marron had placed round the room. Tonight, with the Satans gone, would be back to just the three of them again.

Trunks caught sight of the large photo album that Valese had prepared poking out between some book on the bookshelf and pulled it out. He hadn't really taken the time to properly appreciate how good a job she had done before. It was amazing what a little photo manipulation could do...the album documented birthdays, Christmases, holidays abroad...all of which had never existed. It would fool the casual observer but the only photographs that actually meant something to Trunks were the ones that had been taken on real occasions the three of them had shared. He almost felt guilty looking at pictures that apparently showed himself and Chase laughing on a beach somewhere. All these pictures, yet holidays abroad were not something Chase had ever experienced. He would like to do the things their photo album said they had already done – he would like to go abroad with his little "family", he would like to see how Chase grew up...but it seemed like an impossible dream.

A hand on his shoulder broke into his thoughts and Trunks, taken completely unawares, jumped and slammed the book closed. It was Gohan. Trunks fumbled for an excuse for his suspicious actions but Gohan defused the tense moment.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to let you know that Videl and I will be leaving shortly"

Ah, okay", Trunks kicked his brain back into gear, "Do you have a key?"

Gohan shook his head so Trunks led him into the kitchen and began rummaging through drawers to find the spare.

"Marron - do you know where the spare key's gone?"

She froze and turned towards him slowly, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. Looking at her face Trunks realised his mistake; there was no spare key anymore. He had given it to Marron when she moved in and hadn't thought to make another.

Marron made a show of searching through the drawers and slipped her own key off the keyring.

"Here you go Gohan. I hope you two have a nice evening!"

He took it and left, wishing them goodbye and Marron turned back to the hobs, feeling Trunks watching her. It would be so easy to get caught out by little things like that so in order to maintain face they were piling up one falsehood on top of another. Marron felt a pang of guilt shoot through her good mood. Surely, there were only so many lies they could tell before the whole deception would come crashing down on top of them.

She glanced at her watch to check the date...still four more days to go.

Trunks wandered through the house aimlessly...it seemed quite empty without Gohan and Videl...but the atmosphere was also more relaxed. They didn't have to worry about someone watching and judging their relationship at least for tonight. As he floated from one room to the next his thoughts began to take on an odd direction. Should he take Marron on a date? That's the way most relationships went...but they were already living together so wouldn't it be a bit strange of him to ask her out? But if her ever wanted what they had to be more than a happy interlude, he would have to do something...Even Gohan and Videl went on dates and they were already married. But where could he take her? A meal or the cinema wouldn't be any different to what they already did when living together. Most of he dates he'd had previously were arranged by one or other of his friends who thought he needed a woman in his life...so he didn't really have much experience with being the one initiating the relationship. Maybe flowers...or chocolates? Or would she think he was strange for buying her gifts? Perhaps she would even think he was trying to take advantage of the situation?

Trunks drifted through dinner, replying absentmindedly to Marron's enquiries. Marron began to feel uncomfortable as, despite his apparent preoccupation, she could continually feel his eyes on her and quite often looked up to find him staring. She shook her head slightly and went back to her food; he had been acting strangely all day. It was frustrating because she couldn't even begin to guess what was on his mind. It made her realise all over again just how little she truly knew about him. Marron wanted to know more, to understand what was going on inside Trunks's head, but she was still too frightened to admit how much she had begun to care about him. It was too frightening to think of the consequences of such an admission. It would hurt to walk away at the end of the week and seal everything away as it being just another business deal. But could either of them afford to let it become anything else? There were too many uncertainties for her to even dream of Trunks's affection being real. Even if it were, as it sometimes seemed, unfeigned it would still be a difficult situation. But it scared her to think that this odd relationship she had with Trunks was the most significant relationship she had ever been involved in. Before she'd been attacked she had had boys who were friends and one boyfriend. That relationship had ended rather abruptly when she had decided to keep Chase and afterwards she had shied away from any kind of intimacy. It hadn't been difficult really, with Chase occupying her every waking moment. She had no regrets of their life together, save that she couldn't give Chase the father he wanted so badly. And now Trunks had just turned everything on its head. If not for the deal they would never have been anything but people who happened to work in the same building. But because of the deal they couldn't be anything more than actors against a painted backdrop. Marron ducked her head, suddenly realising that she was staring at Trunks, much as he had been staring at her earlier. She wasn't stupid enough to think that he had been happy about their current arrangement. And since he'd been forced into it, she couldn't rely on his words or actions being entirely truthful. She wanted to believe him and hope for the best but it was hard to trust when she was no stranger to being hurt.

Trunks volunteered to put Chase to bed and Marron nodded agreement without really hearing his request. She did the washing up slowly but methodically, on auto-pilot. She didn't even hear Trunks come back into the kitchen so she was doubly-surprised when he came up behind her and wound his arms round her waist. The mug she was rinsing fell out of her grip and she winced, anticipating the breakage. But it didn't break, instead rolling around the bottom of the sink making a dull noise. That and her heartbeat seemed to be the only sounds in the house.

Trunks felt Marron tense, then slowly relax back against him. He breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of her hair. A part of him seemed to be standing to one side and laughing at him. Is this what you've become, Trunks Briefs? The cold businessman, the lone wolf acting like a lovesick puppy? He felt as though he had been changing and gradually acting more and more out of character. But it didn't feel wrong...it felt liberating. Seeing Marron with Goku earlier that day had only put the stamp on it...he didn't like seeing her with anyone else.

He felt Marron tense again and pull a little away from him, "W-What are you doing?"

She seemed nervous or embarrassed or both. Trunks didn't answer, hoping that she would be satisfied by that and simply relax back into his arms. Instead she tensed further and pulled away far enough that she could turn to look at him.

"Trunks...you don't need to do this..."

He frowned, "What do you mean?"

Marron looked down, "You don't need to pretend anymore Trunks. Nobody's watching"

Trunks froze, his rising feelings abruptly quelled. She still thought everything was insincere...and how could he expect her to think any differently?He fought the urge to force her chin up so that she would look him in the eye and instead stepped back, letting his arms fall to his side.

Marron glanced up at him through her fringe but didn't have the nerve to say anything. Now, Trunks appeared almost...angry. She had never seen his anger before and the thought of it scared her. Would he shout and rage or was he the quiet and cold type? She became increasingly uncomfortable as he didn't move or say anything...just waiting for the explosion.

Trunks took a breath to speak and she hung on it, anxious.

His voice was quiet, "Is that what you think? That I've been pretending?"

"I...I don't know what to think Trunks! How can I with the way things are?"Her voice rose slowly as the stress of the past few days began to catch up with her.

"How can you think? You're not the only one stuck in this situation!"

Marron was taken aback by his response but her anger quickly rose to match his.

"Don't you think I know that? It's not as if I asked to be 'stuck' with you! I'm sorry for agreeing to help you out of your predicament"

"Don't blame me for your decisions!"

Trunks pushed his hair back from his face in irritation. This wasn't at all how he had been planning things to go but it was all just too much. He took a deep breath to stop himself from saying anything more but the bile was still bubbling in his throat.

"I'm going out"

He grabbed his keys from the sideboard and shrugged his jacket on roughly. As he turned his elbow caught the vase of flowers on the table and sent it crashing to the floor but Trunks didn't pause. It made him feel inordinately good to slam the front door behind him, despite how unlike his usual behaviour it was. He was breathing heavily, sucking in the cold night air as if he'd just finished running a race. He needed to get away...take a break from the house...and forget about the unshed tears that had stood in Marron's eyes as she watched him go.

Marron crumpled to the floor as the door slammed behind Trunks and let the tears fall. It felt so wrong to argue with Trunks. She drew he knees into her chest and sobbed, ignoring the shards of broken glass and crumpled flowers around her. A mixture of constant stress since the Satans arrival and Trunks's sudden outburst had left her unable to control her crying. Even as she eventually moved to clean up the mess she could barely see through the incessant tears. She didn't want to go to the bedroom because it seemed so much more Trunks's than her own. Finally she curled up in one of the armchairs in the living room and cried until she fell asleep, alone in a house where she didn't belong.

Trunks jumped into the car and pressed his foot on the accelerator. He wanted to put as much distance between himself and the argument as possible. Already he was beginning to regret his outburst but that did nothing to relieve the frustration that had caused it in the first place. He wanted to scream out loud or take a baseball bat to lots of breakable objects...anything to release a little of the tension that had been building up inside him for so long.

Eventually he pulled over into a lay-by overlooking the sea – he was driving too dangerously to continue. It was designed for truck drivers to stop and take a break on long drives but it was empty on this occasion. One of the two streetlights was out and Trunks parked underneath it. He didn't want to be seen.

After a few moments the stuffiness in the car began to get to him and he flung the door open. Once over the fence he stumbled down the path, little more than a grass trail, to reach the beach. The wind was chill but Trunks welcomed it, turning his face into the wind and walking along the shoreline. The incessant ebb and flow of the waves calmed him. The only problem was the thoughts that rushed in to fill his mind in the absence of any other stimulation. He didn't want to think right now...his head hurt from thinking without coming to any conclusion. After a while the wind began to work its mischief and Trunks was forced to draw his jacket around him in a bid to keep warm.

He glanced at his watch...no, he couldn't go back home yet. He wanted to have a night to clear his head before talking to Marron again. Nothing good would come of trying

to talk when they were both so tired and overwrought. After a second of pause he flipped open his mobile phone. Goku was out as his intentions towards Marron were unknown; Wufei would simply snort and tell Trunks to grow up...which left Goten. Even then, Trunks wasn't sure how Goten would react.

"Hello"

He picked up on the first ring, surprising Trunks.

"Hello. Anyone there?"

"Goten. It's me"

"Trunks?" Goten's surprise was evident and Trunks nearly hung up. It had been a mistake to call him. Goten continued, "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you were free to go for a drink?"

Goten paused and Trunks could hear him conversing with someone in the background before coming back on the line. Despite himself Trunks's curiosity was piqued – who was Goten with?

"Uh, yeah okay. The old place in about...half an hour?"

"Understood. See you then"

Goten turned to his companion and ruffled her hair affectionately.

"Sorry babe, looks like I'm going to have to shoot off."

She nodded her assent, "Is everything okay?"

Goten shrugged, "I'm not sure. If it was anyone but Trunks it wouldn't be unusual but because it's Trunks...something might be up."

She nodded again but looked downcast so Goten lifted her chin to look at him, ignoring the faint blush that spread across her cheeks as he did so.

"Don't worry. It will all work out", His voice was surprisingly gentle and her blush intensified. Goten just hoped that he knew what he was talking about...he had repeated the words so often that they were becoming a mantra and a prayer.

Goten headed down the garden path and turned at the gate, "Hey!"

She looked up from the doorway.

"I wouldn't mind doing this again some time...and next time, shall we call it a date?"

Trunks stared at his phone for a few seconds after hanging up. Who could Goten be with? It wasn't as if he knew everything about his friend's private life but he thought that he would have heard about it if any of the three had started dating someone new, especially Goten. Still, Goten could be a surprisingly private person sometimes even if he wasn't as taciturn as Goku or Wufei.

Trunks began to wonder about his friends and their various romantic entanglements. It wasn't really something they talked about; despite being close enough to be brothers. Perhaps it was precisely because they were so close that they didn't really discuss their personal lives. Any admission of fond feelings would be more likely to lead to teasing than support.

But it was a little strange. Granted, they had all dedicated a large portion of their lives to their company but that wasn't enough to explain why all four of them were bachelors. They were all young, well-off and, he supposed, at least not ugly...it all came down to a simple lack of time. It was difficult to fit romance around a job that none of them could leave at the office.

How had Gohan done it? He was almost curious enough to ask but it would be too embarrassing. It seemed like the kind of thing girls would gossip about at a teenage sleepover, not something he could ask a potential business partner regardless of how amiable he appeared.

But the current situation with Marron, made him feel like an awkward teenager all over again. Weren't you supposed to learn how to deal with girls at that stage of life? Maybe he should just be honest with her, if only his traitorous tongue would stop tripping him up and let him speak. If he were honest he would risk being shot down...but he was a grown man now! He could survive a little rejection...Trunks almost laughed at his pathetic attempt to give himself a pep-talk. He glanced at his watch – Goten would be here soon and he would be sure to do a much better job of a pep-talk than Trunks ever could.

Videl shivered slightly in the chill night air as she waited for Gohan to lock the car and open the front door for her. It had been a lovely evening but she had to admit that she was looking forward to a nice warm bed, especially with the thought of another long day ahead of her. But spending so much time with Gohan was making her the happiest she had been in months. It wasn't easy juggling work and home life, but Videl had already taken the liberty of pencilling-in a few more holidays for the two of them in the next few months; it was already obvious from this trip that a bit of a break was good for both of them.

Gohan was frowning as he walked towards her and Videl looked around for the reason.

"Is something the matter?"

"Trunks's car isn't here"

Videl automatically glanced at her watch, "I wonder where he'd be going so late at night?"

Gohan shrugged tiredly, "I'm sure he's got his reasons"

The house was quiet as they stepped inside so Videl stopped at the bottom of the stairs to slip off her high heels.

The hall light had been left on, ostensibly for them, but it sounded like everyone was already asleep. Videl padded softly across to the light switch and frowned as she caught sight of someone in the living room...it was Marron, fast asleep with her knees curled into her chest and her head resting awkwardly on top of them. It didn't look like the most comfortable way to sleep but she didn't even stir as Videl entered the room. Videl edged closer, driven by curiosity and barely registering her surprise at what appeared to be dried tears on Marron's cheeks. Her curiosity gave way to sympathy; maybe Gohan was right when he said that whatever was going on was really none of their business. Despite her love of a good mystery she really did like both Marron and Trunks and wouldn't hope for anything but the best for them. The blanket Chase used for naps was draped over the back of the sofa so Videl carefully tucked it over Marron and went upstairs, determining that she would say nothing to Gohan, at least for now.

In spite of her best intentions her brain was theorizing wildly...it would drive her crazy if she didn't find out what was happening!

Trunks tapped his foot against the leg of the bar stool impatiently, then stilled as he realised what he was doing. The longer he waited for Goten the more he felt like just leaving and going home. It was foolishness to be out so late in the midst of an important business deal. It really wasn't like him at all...or the 'him' that he had been before Marron and Chase had arrived. Work had always been his first priority, but now things didn't seem so straightforward. At least he had been calm enough when he arrived at the bar to opt for a non-alcoholic drink- drinking when he would be driving home would be the height of folly. But anger could amke you do stupid things...

He turned towards the door as Goten entered and caught his eye. Goten simply nodded a greeting and indicated a booth where they could have a little more privacy.

Suddenly Trunks felt awkward again.

Goten chatted away about unimportant topics, hardly seeming to expect Trunks to reply. After about ten minutes of one-sided conversation Goten sighed,

"I'm guessing you didn't call me up in the middle of the night to talk about the weather. What's up?"

Trunks stared into his drink, wondering where to begin. He was grateful for Goten's company but he wasn't sure he really wanted to talk about Marron with him. He was still too unsure of his own mind to want to make his feelings public.

"It's about Marron isn't it?"

Trunks stared at his friend in disbelief and Goten snorted, "What? Don't look so shocked! Any idiot could see what's on your mind."

"We had an argument"

"Figures. I'm only surprised that it hasn't happened before. So, have you decided what you're going to do to make her stay yet?"

Trunks looked up, "What do you mean 'make her stay'?"

"You've only got a few days of this charade left Trunks. If you don't make your move now you might not get another chance."

Trunks allowed himself a smirk, "Don't be an idiot Goten"

Goten's voice grew heated, "Who's the idiot here Trunks? I wouldn't be enough of an idiot to let someone I care about walk away just because I'm too frightened to admit my feelings!"

Trunks stared at him for a long moment, then he stood up leaving his drink half-finished on the table.

"I'm going home"

And he did, leaving Goten gobsmacked.

It was no wonder Goten was in charge of dealing with people in their company because Trunks just didn't have the requisite social skills.

"That bastard..." Goten murmured before downing his own drink and standing to leave.

He knew Trunks too well to be offended but he did hope that sorting out Trunks's love life wouldn't result in jeopardizing his own. Goten allowed himself a small smile; even though he had left early to see Trunks, she hadn't said no to their next meeting being a date. Maybe, just maybe, he was really in with a chance. Goten shoved his hands in his pockets and strode out of the bar, whistling cheerfully as his imagination furnished him with a bright future.

Marron was having the strangest dream. She felt as though someone were hugging her, as if she were surrounded by the warmth of another person. Her cautious nature kicking in she began to struggle slightly but the arms tightened and a familiar voice whispered reassurances. She relaxed as a gentle hand pushed her hair back from her face and traced the stiff trails of tears down her cheeks. The voice continued speaking but she couldn't make out what it was saying. Still the sound of it was calming and dragged her inexorably into a deeper sleep where she dreamt of nothing but warmth and security.

Trunks let himself into the house quietly, the space of a few hours already making him feel ashamed of his earlier actions. The house was silent and he moved slowly, careful not to make too much noise. All traces of the mess he'd left in the kitchen were gone. He filled up a glass of water and gulped it down quickly before filling it again and heading upstairs to bed.

His tiredness was finally beginning to hit him. The first off-note came when he opened the bedroom door to find the room empty. His heart sped up slightly and he tore open the closet door, half-expecting to see empty coat hangers. Had Marron left him?

The wardrobe seemed undisturbed so his next stop was Chase's room. Trunks let out a sigh of relief as he saw the toddler sleeping peacefully. There was no way she would leave without Chase. He crossed the room and stood looking down at his surrogate son. With his face relaxed in sleep his similarity to Marron was even more obvious than when he was awake. Now Trunks knew that she had to be in the house somewhere. He felt a little nervous about what kind of reception he would get if she were still awake. It was obvious from his earliest encounters with her that she had a temper, something that he had found interesting and perhaps, alluring. But he wasn't at all confident of how he would fare on the wrong side of that temper.

When he found her curled up in an armchair in the living room he stood for a long moment feeling guilty about losing his temper. They had already wasted so much of their time together with misunderstandings. He would take Goten's advice and be honest.

Trunks gathered her up in his arms and made his way up the stairs, thankful that he had left the child gate unlocked behind him on the way down. About halfway up Marron stirred and started to push away from him so he began to talk to her. It seemed to work as she calmed and Trunks found it easier to be honest when he didn't have to look her in the eye. He struggled to get her under the bed covers as she had locked her hands into his t-shirt in a movement reminiscent of Chase when Trunks had first put him to bed. Trunks undressed quickly and slipped back into bed, gathering Marron carefully into his arms once again. She smiled in her sleep and snuggled closer to him, her breath tickling his chest where her head rested. Trunks planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Tomorrow morning for definite...regardless of what happened he would be honest with her and deal with her reaction.

For now, he could simply enjoy having her in his arms once again.

Marron woke slowly and stretched contentedly before even opening her eyes. She hadn't slept so well in weeks.

The memories of the argument the night before began to taint her initial good mood as they filtered back into her consciousness. But Trunks was fast asleep beside her as if nothing had happened. In fact, it would have to have been him that had put her to bed. Marron tried to move and turn to examine him properly but his arms tightened around her midsection and stopped her movement. Marron relaxed back into his embrace; he was so comfortable.

She pondered his words from the night before. Had he meant that he wasn't pretending, that he really did care about her and Chase? How different would the outcome have been if she hadn't reacted so defensively?

She smiled – their argument seemed so silly in the light of day but it had been inevitable with the pressure they were both under. In a way, she was glad. It had given her a glimpse of the Trunks behind the mask and reassured her that he wasn't as impassive as he appeared. For now she would just try to accept the fact that he did care, even if she wasn't yet clear on how far that feeling went. She couldn't deny that, despite her best efforts, Trunks had come to mean a lot to her.

Marron caught sight of the clock on the bedside cabinet and sighed before unwillingly disentangling herself from Trunks.

They would have to get up now or risk being late for work. If only it were the weekend and she could just stay...she paused on the edge of the mattress and let her eyes roam over her pretend husband. She brushed her hand against his permanently-messy hair and smiled. He looked so cute when he was sleeping. Trunks stirred beside her and Marron looked away, blushing in case he caught her looking at him. Then again, could he blame her when he insisted in sleeping in nothing but boxers?

Trunks opened his eyes to see Marron sitting beside him, a blush highlighting her cheeks. She looked beautiful; there was no trace of the tears he knew she had shed only the night before because of him.

"Morning"

She returned the greeting with a small smile and Trunks began to frame an apology, but Marron spoke first.

"We should get up"

Trunks sat up in one fluid movement and reached for the alarm clock to reset it.

"We'll be okay for another five minutes"

He settled back down in the bed and couldn't help but smile when Marron took his unspoken invitation and curled back into his arms. So much of their relationship was never discussed, it just was and Trunks knew that he was already forgiven. In five more minutes reality would intrude once again, and they would have to justify what they had in the eyes of the world. But for now it was just the two of them, and that was more than enough.

The atmosphere in the company was slightly sluggish, as if everyone had yet to wake up properly and start the day. Trunks suppressed a yawn as he headed to Goten's office, glad of the break from his own interminable paperwork. He was seriously consdiering investing in a stamp with his signature on it so he could leave the work to his secretary. He was almost looking forward to continuing the negotiations with Gohan after lunch, if only for the chance to exercise his brain as well as his hands. With every meeting they came a little closer to an agreement and Trunks was impatient – he wouldn't be able to relax until the contract was signed.

Goten ran his eyes over the list one more time. Had he forgotten anyone? The leaving party would be their final chance to make a personal impression on the Satans and he didn't intend to let that opportunity go to waste.

Trunks leant over him and scrolled down the list, "I want you to invite Khushrenada"  
Goten started, so engrossed had he been that he hadn't even noticed Trunks approach.

He frowned as the words sunk in, "What? Why?"

Trunks leant back against the desk and met his eyes calmly. "I just want you to invite him"

"But he's our main competitor. Can we risk introducing him to the Satans? What if they decide to sign the deal with his company instead?"

"They won't. Besides we'll have the deal done and dusted by then"

Goten sighed, "Trunks, you can't be sure of that. Khushrenada already has a deal with the military...if he were to get this one too our business is history."

Trunks shook his head impatiently, "Khushrenada got the job of protecting the military's computers because there was nobody else. At that time, we were still just another nameless, struggling company. Not so now, however. Now we can do that job and we can do it better. I want to make him aware of the challenge we represent."

Goten swung around in his chair to fully face Trunks, his voice sharpened by barely-concealed frustration, "Yes Trunks, that's perfect. Make him aware that we're a threat before we're strong enough to resist his attacks. If we don't get this deal with the Satans we will still be just another nameless, struggling company amongst many."

"So why did Satan come to us? Why not take the obvious choice of Khushrenada?" Trunks challenged.

"Goten shrugged exasperatedly, "How would I know? The point is that he did come to us and risking losing that is suicide."

Trunks shook his head again, "Goten, don't you see?"

He paused and leaned closer, "Who, outside of this company knows what we can really do?"

Trunks watched as realization dawned on Goten's face and nodded, "Add Khushrenada to the guest list"

Trunks was satisfied with his decision; the pieces were falling into place and it was time that the rest of the world knew about their company and what they could do.

He caught himself humming as he walked down the corridor towards his own office and quickly looked around guiltily in case anyone had noticed.

Trunks Briefs wasn't the type of person that hummed. Humming was for those annoyingly happy, self-satisfied people who went through everyday with boundless optimism. That wasn't him. There were probably enough rumours flying around the company about himself and Marron without adding humming to the gossip mill. Humming meant that he had lost his edge; he was no longer someone to be feared and respected in business. Humming meant a lot of things and none of them were good.

Glancing around once more, he opened the door to the outer part of his office and slipped inside.

Doris was nowhere to be seen which was unusual but Trunks was almost relieved. There was no denying that she did her job well but she seemed to spend most of the rest of her time glaring at Trunks. Goten had seemed amused when he had noticed it one day, but he had also refused to explain to Trunks his thoughts on the matter.

Trunks stepped into the inner sanctum and closed the door firmly before checking his watch. He had a lot of work to do before Gohan arrived, especially if he wanted to make his earlier words a reality. He had already proved that he would do anything to get this deal and it would all be a waste if they didn't get it now.

The phones were down for repairs so Marron's office was too quiet. Despite there being almost thirty people seated at different workstations around the room, the noise level barely rose above the gentle hum of the computers. She had work to be doing but her brain didn't seem to be functioning as it should. She had read an entire section, yet couldn't remember a word of it. Stretching, Marron got up to take a quick break and get a drink. Maybe just having a stroll around would be enough to get her head cleared. Her head was so full of Trunks and the infinite small details of their charade that she felt like she had no room for anything else.

Marron picked up a newspaper while waiting for the kettle to boil and began to flick through it. A full-page ad jumped out at her, effectively distracting her – a circus was in town! Marron had always loved going to the circus...once she had even dreamed that she would run away from home and join one like the Trunkses of so many of her books. Chase would definitely love it...and a little fun would do Trunks good!

She scribbled the phone number for the ticket line on a napkin and then added the website for good measure in case the phones in her department stayed down for much longer.

She wandered back to her desk with her hot chocolate in one hand and got stuck into her work, drafting a press release about one of their new products, before e-mailing it to Goten for his approval. She had just pulled up a list of upcoming publicity drives when another e-mail popped up.

It was from Trunks and consisted of only one word, "Lunch?"

Marron smiled and e-mailed back an affirmative, feeling strangely excited. Despite their argument the night before or perhaps because of it, Marron was feeling a lot closer to Trunks. Lunch today would be the first time they would be together without the Satan's outside of the house...in a way it was a little like a first date and Marron was suddenly nervous.

"Marron", Goten appeared behind her looking a little tousled and handed her a sheaf of papers, "Could you take these across to Wufei's office please? He'll probably need you to fill in a few gaps for him too"

Marron glanced through the pages and nodded, "No problem"

She would never admit it but Wufei intimidated her...she wouldn't go so far as to say he scared her, but he was definitely the most intimidating one of all the partners in the business. At first they had all seemed a little frightening, but time had changed that as with a lot of things.

Goten was the most easily approachable, but he was also misleading. A month working with him had proven that. He sometimes acted a little goofy but he took his job seriously and he was good at what he did. So good, in fact, that a lot of people didn't realise that they had been talked round by him, instead believing that the decisions they had made were entirely their own. A lot of people took him at face value and underestimated his intelligence, leaving him all the freer to manipulate them. Marron wasn't arrogant enough to believe that she had done more than scrape the surface of his character but the more she discovered the more respect she had for him.

From initial impressions alone, Trunks and Goku were probably the same in terms of perceived approachability.

Everyday she lived with Trunks she learned more about him and it just gave her more questions. He seemed like the archetypical work-obsessed lone wolf, but there was a lot more to him than that. Marron only had to watch him with Chase to see an entirely different person. She liked his occasional flash of humour too, one she was sure that very few people had ever seen. He seemed like a sincere and honest person, though maybe sometimes a little too fond of being in control of everything. She could tell that lying to the Satans and the unpredictability of his life since she and Chase had appeared made him uncomfortable.

Marron wanted to trust the flashes of emotion she witnessed in his eyes, she desperately wanted to believe that Trunks truly cared for her and Chase...but she couldn't. Protecting herself and her son had been her first priority for so long that it was difficult to relax her guard. The constant extremes in her moods over the past few weeks also made her wary...she would have to be certain before she could afford to let Trunks in anymore than he already was.

If only they had met under different circumstances... Marron's good mood faded remembering Goku's challenges from a few days earlier. Despite their second meeting softening his words somewhat she could still tell that he thought her naïve to simply hope for the best in their situation. Goku was another interesting character; Marron still wasn't sure of his motives but he did seem genuinely concerned about Chase and that made her let her guard down somewhat. She had been aware from the beginning of his disapproval towards her and it still made her uncomfortable. Despite his recent attempts to be friendly Marron couldn't help but feel that she wasn't seeing the entire picture. Until then she wasn't sure that she could really consider him a friend.

All the department heads were the same in one respect; she could spend time with them without learning anything of meaning about them and she would only realise it afterwards. They were an odd group of friends, each so individual and private, but they trusted each other.

Wufei was the one that she felt most nervous of, perhaps because he was the one with whom she had spoken the least. He had been the one to protest the most at Goten's idea of she and Chase pretending to be Trunks's family, but he had also been the one to sort out all the practicalities for them within days of it being decided. Marron couldn't get rid of the feeling that Wufei was laughing somewhere inside, whether at her expense or Trunks's and it made her uncomfortable.

His office door was slightly ajar, but Marron still paused for a second to compose herself before knocking.

"Come in"

Wufei's eyebrow twitched as he registered who his visitor was, but that was the only outward sign that he was surprised at all, "Can I help you?"

"Goten sent these across", Marron handed him the sheets he had requested earlier, then continued, "Do you have time to look over them now?"

Wufei nodded, "Now is as good a time as any. Please, sit down."

Marron perched on the edge of the seat he had indicated, pushing her nerves away beneath a professional mask. She was preparing herself the way she would for a difficult client, somehow sensing that Wufei could be very difficult if he so decided. To her surprise they sped through the documents with Wufei often grasping Goten's requests before she had made them. He was a true professional, just like everyone else in the position of department head. Marron wondered at how a group of such focused people had found each other, and made a successful business out of nothing but hard work.

Wufei's voice made her jump and Marron blushed at being caught off-guard.

"Tell Goten I'll send the revisions back later on. Thank you Ms Dorlian"

He turned back to his computer and Marron was obviously dismissed.

Still, she lingered, trying to find the words to ask him about something that had been bothering her since they had first met.

"Wufei. Do you have a problem with me?"

That wasn't the best start but at least she had said something. Marron waited nervously, but she was determined to get some answers. She wasn't used to people disliking her for no reason and she wanted to know the origin of Wufei's attitude towards her.

Wufei paused in his typing but didn't turn around, "A problem?"

Marron's voice grew harder, "Yes, a problem."

He turned to meet her gaze, smirking slightly. His expression was designed to irritate.

"I don't even know you. Why would I have a problem with you?"

Marron was obviously struggling for words, but she didn't back down.

Wufei watched her carefully; although he would never admit it out load, he was curious about the woman who had become such a big part of all their lives in such a short time. Something about her had truly caught Trunks's attention and had already won Goku, Goten and the Satan's across to her side. What gave her the ability to do so easily what nobody before her had been able to?

"You don't like me"

Wufei sat up straighter, hiding a proper grin "You're right. I don't"

He was so used to people beating around the bush that Marron's bluntness was strangely refreshing. Still, it wouldn't do for him to be too harsh in his reply or he would probably regret it later.

"Why?"Marron straightened her stance in response to his movement and met his eyes with a challenge.

"Why does it matter to you?"

She looked surprised at his reply and Wufei sighed. He was already becoming tired of dancing around her challenges. Diplomacy was not his strong point. Well, he had tried. Maybe she deserved a straight answer.

"I don't like people who put money before their children's happiness"

Wufei turned to continue with his work, then glanced over his shoulder when she remained silent. He had expected her to say something to defend herself and her silence concerned him slightly. Hadn't she been ready to challenge him just a second ago?

All colour had drained away from Marron's face and she stared sightlessly at a spot just above Wufei's left shoulder. As he watched, curious, two spots of bright colour began to burn in each cheek. She began to shake slightly and Wufei's curiosity became nervousness. Was she going to cry? Of all the nightmares his imagination could conjure up, nothing could beat a crying woman.

Marron looked up at him then, her eyes lit with anger and Wufei almost sighed in relief. She wasn't going to cry.

"You..." her voice was barely louder than a whisper, "You create this situation and then dare to accuse me of choosing it?"

Wufei leant forwards in his chair, his own annoyance stirring. He was glad that she wasn't going to cry but it irked him that she was going to fight when she was in the wrong. He took a breath and spoke slowly, allowing only the thinnest vein of frustration to surface.

"We created this situation; that much is true. But you agreed to it. We didn't put the words in your mouth"

At first she looked as if she were going to continue arguing but Wufei didn't give her an opening.

"As an employee you are doing a very good job. But as a mother...that's a different matter"

He turned back to his work as Marron stood motionless, eyes on the ground, her hair falling forward to conceal her expression. He looked up curiously at the silence, still not quite sure what to expect from her... but she simply turned and walked out of his office.

The door clicked softly shut behind her and Wufei leaned back in his chair, frowning as he tucked both arms behind his head. He had been in the right, but somehow he still felt a little guilty.

Marron bit her lip so hard she could taste blood, but she held herself together until she reached the relative privacy of a toilet cubicle. There was only so often she could get away with losing her temper with her superiors and she had had plenty of practice at keeping her mouth closed. Besides, Wufei was right.

She sat down heavily on the toilet lid and rested her head in her hands, looking up to the ceiling and opening her eyes wide to stop any traitorous tears falling. She didn't deserve the luxury of self-pity, when she couldn't deny that her decision would cause pain for Chase in the future.

He was happy now...but at what cost?

Trunks frowned and glanced at his watch. Marron was late. His phone rang and he snatched it up eagerly. To his disappointment it was Doris.

"Mr Briefs, there's an important phone call for you. It's with regards to the program you wrote for the Bombardier office in Shanghai"

Trunks sighed. He had to take this call. The time difference meant that they were calling him at the end of their working day and that they probably couldn't wait until the next day for his answer.

"Okay. Doris, if my wife phones let her know what's happened. I'll try not to be too long so please ask her to wait"

There was a second of silence, then his secretary replied, "Of course"

Trunks settled himself at his desk and pulled up any files related to their former project on his computer before pressing the button to take the phone call.

He spared one more thought for Marron before getting stuck into the problem at hand...if he was unlucky he could be stuck for a while, but he would do his best to make sure he kept his promise to Marron.

They needed some time together out of the watchful gaze of everyone else.

Marron unfolded herself slowly off the top of the toilet seat and freshened up a little at the sinks before returning to her office. Almost everyone had already gone on their lunch break, although there were still a few people working and others wolfing down a sandwich at their desks and getting straight back to work.

She was strangely reluctant to go and meet Trunks, even though she had been looking forward to it earlier that day. He had an odd ability to tell how she was feeling even when she was trying to hide it...she could hold herself together in the face of antagonism but any sign of sympathy would be her undoing.

She wasted a few minutes straightening up her desk, then gathered her things and went upstairs to pick Chase up from the crèche. It was a little late so there was a high probability that he had already eaten with the other children but she wanted to see him anyway.

The nanny brought her finger to her lips as Marron stepped inside the door.

"He's already napping, I'm afraid"

Marron nodded and crossed the room quietly to kneel down beside her son, stroking his hair gently as she watched him sleep. After a moment she kissed him on the cheek and returned to the doorway, pausing to speak to the nanny.

"How has he been?"

"He's been a lot quieter recently. I think he's finally getting used to being with the other children"

Marron nodded her head and thanked the nanny before leaving.

Chase had seemed more withdrawn lately and even though he was sleeping a lot more than he normally did, he still seemed tired.

She felt guilty; even if he couldn't understand all of the reasons behind what was going on Chase would be able to feel the undercurrents of tension around their house and it was probably making him anxious.

Not only that but he hadn't been spending as much time with both her and Bra as he was accustomed to, so he wouldn't have been able to ask any questions that he had. He was more used to interacting with adults than with children his own age so spending time in the crèche would be good for him.

It was also a good preparation from school when he would have to be away from Marron for the entire day. Most children of Chase's age had trouble being away from their parents for even a few hours but Chase took it in his stride. It made Marron question herself as a parent; was it healthy that he was already so accustomed to being independent?

When Chase had been born she he would have loved nothing more than to give everything up for him. However, the government child support barely covered Chase's food for the week, let alone other necessities. Her foster father had never lived to see Chase as he died shortly after her fifteenth birthday and it seemed unfair to ask her mother for help when she was already struggling to live on her pension.

Her father's death had been a shock; he had seemed perfectly healthy until he had a heart attack at work and he never came home again.

After that her mother had just faded quietly, unable to work and having lost her only purpose in life. She had rallied for a while after Chase's birth, taking on the duty of teaching Marron to care for him with an almost frenetic energy. It was only after she had been admitted to hospital that Marron realised just how ill her mother was.

She held on until Chase's first birthday, then slipped away in her sleep to join her husband.

Her parents had always planned to retire somewhere abroad so the family home was only a rental property but it was full of a lifetime's possessions. Being alone in the house with Chase had been painful as everything had memories.

Even now, years down the line, she still expected to see her mother pottering about the garden or her father sitting in the corner seat with his glasses perched on the end of his nose, reading the newspaper. Bra had been looking for somewhere to stay and Marron needed someone else to share the space that felt so empty without her mother. Together, they had been living day to day since then.

Marron pulled herself out of her reverie as the elevator stopped at the floor she needed.

She had already arranged it so that the rent for the house would come out of her account because she knew that it would be difficult for Bra to pay it on her own. However Marron also knew that her friend had not yet noticed as she was expecting an angry phone call as soon as she did. Bra didn't take charity from anyone, even if that someone was a friend. They had spoken so little lately that Marron had no idea how she was handling living alone.

Marron frowned; the whole situation with the Satan's had been stressing her out so much that she was losing touch with the most important people in her life. Both her best friend and her son deserved much better.

Doris smiled brightly at her as she stepped into the outer office and Marron was so surprised that it took her a second to reply with one of her own.

"Is Trunks here?"

Doris looked surprised, "I'm sorry. Was he expecting you?"

Marron fumbled for an answer, but Doris spoke again before she could.

"He's dealing with an important phone call right now. He said he could be a while but..."

She paused and looked thoughtful, "I guess that if it's something urgent I could always call in on the other line?"

Marron shook her head, "Oh no, don't worry about that. I'll speak to him later"

Doris inclined her head and smiled again, "Are you sure you don't want to leave a message? It's no problem at all"

"No, no, really it's fine. I need to get back to work soon anyway so I'll just speak to him later"

She backed away slightly, still a little disconcerted by Doris's friendliness. The secretary met her eyes and Marron wondered if she was imagining the challenge she saw there.

"Well, if you're sure..."

Marron nodded quickly, "I'm sure. Thank you for your help"

She left the office quickly, still puzzling over the surprising fact that Doris had been nice to her.

Had she been imagining the daggers in her glares before? Surely she couldn't have imagined the way she had seen Doris look at Trunks when she thought nobody was watching?

At first she had just felt guilty that yet another innocent party would be hurt by their charade, but after a while it had started to bother her.

She couldn't pinpoint exactly when it had changed, she just knew how she had felt one day when she had arrived at the office to find Doris flirting with Trunks. The secretary had been leaning that little bit too close, her hand resting familiarly on Trunks's arm and Marron had frozen in the doorway before they had caught sight of her, unfamiliar bile rising in the back of her throat.

She and Trunks knew that they weren't married, but Doris didn't...and she was still going after her boss. At that time she had stepped forward quickly, not even having to pretend to be the slightly indignant wife who had found the outer office unsupervised, but the compassion she had formerly felt for Doris had been replaced with suspicion. Fact aside that they weren't really married; was the secretary really willing to try to break up a seemingly happy family?

For someone who Marron considered intelligent, Trunks seemed completely unaware of the feelings his secretary had for him.

He had greeted her with no sign of the guilt that should have accompanied a husband considering cheating on his wife and Marron had never mentioned it.

But it bothered her more than she cared to admit, adding another layer of complexity to a situation that was already tearing her heart and mind in different directions.

Why hadn't Trunks brushed Doris's hand off his arm when she had touched him? Why hadn't Doris seemed worried about being caught by her boss's supposed wife? Had there been some kind of relationship between them before Marron had come into the picture?

Her imagination had run wild for a while, creating complicated scenarios of Trunks and Doris being involved but trying to keep it hidden because Trunks had to pretend to be married to Marron to get the deal with Satan Corporations. However, Trunks seemed like too kind a person to be able to keep such a pretence up for long.

This led Marron, once again, to the perpetual question of how much of their life together was real and how much was fake?

A hand waved in front of her eyes and Marron looked up in shock. It was Goku, his expression somewhere between concern and amusement.

"Are you okay?"

Marron laughed, a nervous sound that would fool nobody.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Goku looked down at her and decided to say nothing about how she had been staring into space with a stricken expression before he had interrupted her thoughts.

Marron looked down at her feet and bit her lip nervously, already beginning to feel dangerous tears pricking at her eyes as Goku simply looked at her, his hand still resting on her shoulder in a reassuring gesture. It was exactly as she had feared; any sign of sympathy would be enough to destroy her self-control.

There was a short silence as Marron recomposed her face and Goku looked away to give her the privacy. He kept his hand on her shoulder in silent support and cleared his throat uncomfortably before speaking.

"Marron, if you need someone to talk to..."

he trailed off, obviously unsure of how to continue and Videl paused around the corner. She was on her way to meet Gohan for a late lunch after they had each gone to visit different sections in the company. Unfortunately she seemed to be making a habit of overhearing conversations that she shouldn't between Goku and Marron.

She risked a quick peek around the corner to see Marron standing against the wall outside Trunks's office, with Goku standing in front of her protectively, one arm outstretched to rest on her shoulder. She ducked back as Goku began to speak again, still struggling to find the words he needed.

"Please don't feel that you can't talk to us because we're Trunks's friends. We're...I'm worried about you too"

Marron finally found the courage to meet his eyes and she smiled weakly before looking away again as his other hand settled on her shoulder.

"Thank you Goku"

She laughed suddenly, her nerves surfacing again as Goku made no move to release her from his half-embrace.

"Would you believe me if I say that this week feels as if it's been going on forever?"

She reached up to adjust her handbag strap, "I should be going. I have plans"

Goku stepped away with a certain reluctance he didn't care to question too closely and nodded.

Marron turned back for a second as she walked away, "Really, thank you Goku. I appreciate it"

Videl waited for another second before rounding the corner and greeting Goku as if nothing were amiss. He returned the greetings, but she could see a guarded expression in his eyes as if he knew she had overheard. As she walked away Videl couldn't help but wonder once again just what was going on behind the scenes. She didn't like mysteries and it wasn't like her to let a question go unanswered

Marron flipped her mobile phone open as she stepped through the automatic doors and shielded her eyes from the sun with her other hand as she waited for Bra to reply. Technically she had lied to Goku when she said that she had plans but she didn't intend it to remain a lie for long.

"Bra, I think I made the wrong decision"

Bra paused and turned to face her friend in confusion. Up until that point they had simply been chatting light-heartedly but Marron had switched to being serious so quickly that Bra hadn't followed the transition.

"What do you mean?"

"These few weeks...few months might hurt Chase more than never having a father at all. It's almost over now and I can't bear to think of Chase's reaction when we leave..."

She looked down, noticeably struggling to stay calm, "He...he really loves Trunks. I don't know how to explain why we have to leave"

Suddenly Bra understood. While she would normally be impatient with Marron worrying herself into a state she knew too little about the situation to make any judgements as of yet. Still, it was obvious that Marron needed someone to ask the questions that nobody else would

Bra considered her friend calmly, "Do you want to leave?"

Marron stuttered, W-What do you mean?"

"Why not stay? You say Chase loves Trunks but how do you feel?"

Marron began to blush a deep red, "I...um, but...I don't know. Beside that, we couldn't possibly..."

"Why not?"

"All of this has been a charade for the sake of the Win..."

Bra interrupted, "That's rubbish. It's obvious to anyone with eyes that it's more than an act"

Marron looked up then and Bra was caught by the confusion and fear in her eyes.

"Sometimes I think there's something there...but how can I know what is real and what's not? Maybe it will be better for all of us if this ends this week before things get anymore complicated."

Bra opened her mouth to protest, but stayed her tongue, watching the conflicting emotions warring for supremacy over her friend's face.

Marron was deceptively strong, so much so that it was easy to forget how truly fragile she was in some respects.

They had been in the same school since they were 11 but they didn't truly become friends until they were 15. Bra only met Marron's father once before he died and if she hadn't known what had happened she never would have guessed. Marron had held herself together for her mother's sake and she had become skilled at putting a brave face on while her heart broke.

She had never spoken to anyone but the police about what had happened the night she had been attacked. She had smiled her way through the last few months of school as if she couldn't hear the cruel whispers.

Simply being beside her had made Bra want to scream out loud at the gossip-mongers who never stopped to think of the harm they could be inflicting with their words.

As long as she had known Marron she had always been strong, first for her mother and then for her son, but she was only human at the end of the day.

Ironically it seemed that things going right scared her more than things going wrong. It was almost as if she were afraid let herself acknowledge the possibilities just in case they turned out to be nothing.

Bra placed a hand on Marron's arm,

"Marron, nobody can make the decision but you...but it's not a decision that you need to make yet. Have you tried speaking to Trunks about this?"

Marron shook her head looking slightly shamefaced, then spoke so quietly that Bra had to lean closer to hear.

"The words stick in my throat"

Bra pulled her into a hug, knowing she needed one but she would never ask.

"Idiot. It's not like the house is going to run away. No matter what happens you will have somewhere to go home to"

Bra ignored the dampness on her shoulder, knowing that Marron wouldn't be able to cry if she thought that she had been noticed. She smiled in the hope that it would stop her own tears from falling.

"Silly goose, worrying over nothing"

Marron giggled through her tears and neither of them could tell if they were laughing or crying anymore. They held onto each other, thankful for one constant in a world that could change in an instant.

Despite her misgivings after the horrible start to the day, Marron's afternoon flew by and it felt like no time at all before she was stepping out of the lift at the crèche, only to be informed that Trunks had already picked Chase up some time before. Doris had disappeared from the outer office, much to Marron's relief, so she simply knocked lightly on the main office door before letting herself in.

She was greeted with a sight she had never thought she would see.

Chase was ensconced under Trunks's desk, simply peeking his head out and putting his fingers to his lips to indicate that Marron should keep quiet about his location.

Trunks was standing in the corner, his back to the rest of the room as he counted. Marron fought the urge to laugh out loud as Trunks began to look around the room, making a big show of checking even the most unlikely places. The office was so bare that there were only one or two places where even a small child could hide.

He stopped near the desk and put a hand to his chin as if deep in thought,

"Where could he be?"

After a bare moment of this charade Chase couldn't hold his breath any longer, letting it go in a loud exhalation. Trunks immediately spun towards his hiding place.

"Ah ha! Found him!"

Chase burst out of his hiding place, laughing and ran eagerly into Trunks's waiting arms.

Marron couldn't help but smile. Was this the same child she had been worrying about just earlier that day? It was clear that he hadn't had a problem adjusting to their current situation; the problem would be how he would react when the situation changed once again.

"Okay Daddy, your turn to hide! Mummy, you too!"

And that was how Marron ended her bad day standing behind a dusty curtain in her boss's office, fighting not to sneeze and suddenly not caring just as much as she had about what the next day would bring.

They had managed before, her and Chase, and they would manage again, no matter what happened.

Trunks was finding it hard to concentrate in the empty house.

He had always liked his silence but it had been so long since his house was absolutely silent that the sudden absence of sound was quite disconcerting.

Gohan and Videl were making the best of their last few days of relative freedom before they returned home, and he had dropped Marron and Chase over at Bra's earlier that evening. At first he half-listened hopefully for the sound of a key in the lock; wishing for someone to break the silence.

He liked the quiet but he was discovering that he didn't like the kind of quiet of being the only one in the house. The best kind of quiet was when it was being shared by people each doing their own things, like in the evenings when Chase would sprawl on the floor with some toys and Marron would curl up at one end of the sofa with a book or some paperwork from the day while Trunks watched the news or went over his own papers. Sometimes Marron would join Chase on the floor, lying on her stomach as she read the newspaper and occasionally joining in with Chase's games. She got in a tangle if she tried to read the newspaper without something to spread it out on. Sometimes Chase would climb up between them and cuddle up to his chosen parent for a question session.

Trunks really enjoyed evenings like that. It was a learning experience for all of them; often Chase would ask questions that neither he nor Marron could properly answer so it invariably led to all three of them traipsing into the study to consult the cluster of encyclopedias and dictionaries on the bottom shelf or the internet. Why exactly did stomachs rumble or snails leave silver trails?

As the seconds and minutes ticked by without any sound Trunks became engrossed in his work, his years of working alone finally overcoming his distracting thoughts. There were three more days of scheduled negotiations but Trunks wanted to come to an agreement as quickly as possible so that both his family and his guests could relax sooner. There were so many things that needed to be sorted.

When the turn of the key he had been waiting for finally came he didn't even hear it over the clamour inside his head.

Marron shifted Chase onto one hip awkwardly and struggled to turn the key on the door. It felt so good to be home. Even though the house she had shared with Bra had been her home for most of her life, the home she had created with Trunks felt more real somehow. The thought of sleeping alone in her own bed was a poor second choice to falling asleep in Trunks's arms. Even the thought of leaving at the end of the week made her anxious; it wouldn't feel right after they had worked so hard to live as a family.

Talking to Bra had helped to sort her head out a little and she was now ready to admit that her own feelings would play a larger part in her decision than she had anticipated.

Perhaps it had been inevitable, with them being thrown together, that she would develop feelings for her pretend husband.

Perhaps, she even dared to speculate, their relationship would have happened someday anyway, but the situation had made it happen faster.

Still, admitting it to herself was one thing, but finding the courage to take Bra's advice and ask Trunks about it was another. All she could do was try.

When Chase was safely tucked into his bed Marron went back downstairs to the study where, true to form, she found Trunks working.

"I'm back"

He looked tired and on a sudden impulse she threaded her arms around his neck from behind to give him a quick hug. He hooked his hands around her arms with a sigh of relief, "Welcome home"

Marron rested her head on his shoulder, "Are you all finished?"

Trunks nodded, "Pretty much" He paused, "About lunchtime..."

Marron interrupted, "Don't worry about it..."

Trunks cut her off, "Let's reschedule for tomorrow"

When she didn't answer immediately he spun around in the office chair,

"I'm afraid Ms Dorlian that I will have to insist. Standard company policy for new employees and all that"

He held his serious expression for a second longer before grinning and Marron smiled back,

"Of course Mr Briefs. I wouldn't for a second think of turning down my boss's request!"

"Call me Trunks" He brushed a mock kiss across the back of her hand

Marron couldn't help but laugh out loud at his playful behaviour, wondering for a second if anyone else had ever seen him like this. The more she got to know him the more she wondered if his reputation was simply due to everyone only seeing his work mask. There was so much more to the real man than that.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him up, "Come on , let's go to bed"

There was no hesitation this time; they curled up next to each other as if it were the habit of years. Marron smiled contentedly in the darkness.

Five days down...three and a bit to go. they would be okay.

Day 6: Wednesday

Marron was aware of a number of people staring at her as she walked alongside Trunks towards the exit and she blushed, dropping her eyes to the carpet.

Trunks's unorthodox introduction of her when she first started work had caused a temporary explosion of gossip, but had ultimately served Trunks's purpose in dealing with other potential rumours before they became a problem. Since then Marron was aware that there had been questions asked behind her back but, thankfully, nobody seemed to treat her any differently. Still, this was the first time she and Trunks had been together publicly in work and it was obvious that they were attracting attention. Usually they were both so busy with their own business that they didn't see each other at all during the day; even their lunch hours often differing so they visited Chase at different times.

Marron could feel the weight of all the eyes watching them and she unconsciously picked up her pace, eager to get away. It had been awkward enough trying to get to know Trunks when it had just been the two of them and Chase; then more so with their house guests, but now...she lengthened her stride. She had to escape.

Trunks glanced at Marron's downturned face and smiled, fighting to stop it from spreading into a proper grin. The play of emotions across her face was almost painfully clear and it amused him. She had made presentations in front of hundreds of people without batting an eyelid and hadn't seemed to have thought twice about questioning his decision to give her a job...but now she looked as if she just wanted the earth to swallow her up. Still hiding his grin, Trunks allowed his hand to bump hers but she didn't notice. She was too caught up in her worrying to react so he did it again more forcefully.

Something about her made him want to behave completely out of character. She brought out a playful side of him that had until then very rarely seen the light of day.

Feeling mischievous Trunks took her hand, entwining her fingers through his own as if it were an old habit. Marron stumbled, looking so shocked for a second that Trunks began worrying about overstepping his bounds once again. There was a moment when neither of them spoke, then Marron smiled and tightened her grip gratefully. They continued down the hall together with Trunks no longer hiding his smile; maybe it wasn't professional and it had probably attracted more attention rather than deflecting it but he didn't care. Every man had his pride.

Marron found herself fidgeting as she ran her eye over the menu in the cafe that Trunks had taken her to.

He seemed relaxed, evidently feeling none of the nerves that were plaguing Marron.

This was, after all, effectively their first date. Her first date in years and it was with someone who was already her husband in the eyes of the world.

She allowed her eyes to wander over him, trying to see him as an impartial stranger might. From first impressions he would seem handsome but cold, either someone who had no time for anything but work or someone to whom relationships were nothing but a game or an annoyance. She had an inkling that the first option had not been far from the truth when she had first met him, but he had successfully surprised her in almost every respect since then. Her gaze lingered on his shoulders and the fit of his suit that momentarily reminded her of what lay underneath... Marron blushed madly, hoping against hope that Trunks wouldn't notice the lapse in her concentration.

His hand covered hers on the table and she stared as her train of thought came to an abrupt halt. It wasn't that him touching her was anything new but the fact that he was doing it outside of the house and without any audience hinted at possibilities that she wasn't sure if she was ready to accept just yet.

"Is something wrong?"

Trunks's face was very close to her own and Marron shook her head furiously, "No..."

The waiter appeared before she had a chance to elaborate but she was grateful as it gave her time for her face to return to a normal colour.

Trunks squeezed her hand again as the waiter retreated. He didn't think he had ever seen Marron behaving so shyly, "Are you sure you're okay?"

She smiled and met his eyes for a second before blushing again, "I'm fine. It's just that this is our first date."

Trunks looked shocked, then took a sip of his water to hide his sudden discomfort. He hadn't thought of it like that. Suddenly he could understand Marron's nerves and wasn't far behind her in feeling them. This was a test they had to pass if they were ever going to be anything more than an unusual business deal. Trunks tried to recover with an apology,"A lot has happened over the past few months...still it shouldn't have taken me so long to invite you on a date."

Marron smiled, "It's nice to relax with you without an audience"

He was nodding an agreement before he realised it; they had become so used to being watched that it was suddenly awkward trying to restart their odd relationship from the beginning it should have had...but the important thing was that he liked spending time with her and she with him. Any larger admission might take a while but for now he was happy with that beginning.

Videl scanned the office silently, noting the large number of empty desks and the few unlucky people with deadlines eating while working. She had eaten quickly with Gohan at the company canteen as he had wanted to finish off something he had started before the lunch break. Sometimes he was unhealthily single-minded when it came to work. It left Videl at a loose end for a while and she intended on using her time well to get the answers to some questions that had been bothering her since the beginning of their stay.

She checked the quickly hand-drawn map against her location, then noticed the namecard identifying the desk as Marron's. She wasn't there but that would suit Videl's purpose best. Glancing around she moved to the far-side of the workstation and introduced herself to Marron's neighbour, "Sorry, do you have a moment? I was wondering if you could help me with something..."

The girl swallowed her mouthful of sandwich quickly and nodded, "Of course. What can I help you with?"

"Actually, it's about Marron..."

Videl fought down a sudden surge of guilt as the girl answered without suspicion. As much as she liked her hosts she could feel that something was off and she trusted her instincts too much to ignore them. One way or another she would get to the bottom of the mystery.

Marron frowned as Trunks slid an envelope across the table towards her.

"What is it?" She grew more suspicious as he avoided her eyes, obviously uncomfortable. Fighting down a sudden sense of dread Marron picked the envelope up and turned it over to open it.

"Um..." Trunks began to speak then stopped himself and Marron paused. Was she imagining a faint tinge of a blush on his cheeks?

Even more confused than she had been before Marron slid the envelope open and Trunks suddenly became very busy with examining the bill that the waiter had left on their table. When Marron didn't say anything he looked up nervously.

"We don't have to go if you already have other plans. We just did some work for them a while ago and they gave them to us as a token of their thanks..."

He stopped as Marron looked up with a massive smile, "How did you know? I was just looking at the ad in the paper today!"

On an impulse she leaned across the table to give him an awkward hug, "Thank you Trunks"

She flushed as she pulled away and glanced around the cafe; she felt like a teenager all over again, on a first date and not quite sure where it would go from there.

Trunks smiled, an open genuine smile that Marron had never even suspected existed before she had gotten to know him. He had definitely changed since their first meeting and she wanted it to be real so much that it hurt. Maybe, just maybe, they could make it work.

As they stood to leave the cafe Marron shyly slipped her hand into Trunks's, a little nervous about how he would react. Even just that small step had her heart beating frantically...but she should have known it would be alright. Trunks's fingers closed firmly around her own and they walked hand-in-hand the whole way back to the office. Marron felt unreasonably happy; the warmth of Trunks's hand in her own a physical proof that she wasn't imagining what there was between them...and a hope that they might just be able to make things work after all.

Chase practically bounced where he stood, his cheeks already flushed in anticipation and impatience, "We're going to be late!"

Trunks flicked his wrist to check his watch and laughed softly before ruffling Chase's hair in a fond gesture, " We don't have to be there for another 45 minutes!"

Chase pouted, "I don't want to miss the elephants. If you get there early you can even get to ride them!"

Marron appeared at the top of the stairs, already pulling on her gloves, "Trunks, are you ready?"

She too seemed eager to get to the circus as quickly as possible and Trunks fought the urge to laugh properly, simply answering, "Ready when you are!"

Marron fumbled in her bag for a second before paling, "Trunks, the tickets..?"

"Right here", he indicated the inner pocket of his jacket. One more status check and they were on their way, Chase barely able to sit still in the back seat and Marron hardly any better in the front. Trunks found himself looking forward to their night out, their excitement infecting him as well.

As thanks for helping the circus with their online bookings a few months previously he had been gifted with the tickets and, seeing no use for them, had promptly forgotten about them...until he had seen the ad for the circus in the paper that morning. There were four tickets so they had offered one in turn to Goten and Bra... but they both had pleaded other plans so he had left it in the house in case Videl and Gohan followed them later that evening. Guiltily Trunks almost wished that they would choose not to come; he was already relishing the idea of spending time with his family without an audience.

They were there sooner than he had expected, the bright lights and carnival music giving him a frission of excitement he hadn't expected to feel. Chase was already tugging on one hand, giving him a second chance at a childhood that had ended too soon and Trunks gave in. He forgot about the stress of the deal with Satan Corporations, he forgot about the uncertainties of his relationship with Marron and the painful thought of the happiness he had experienced coming to an end.

He simply smiled back at Marron when she smiled at him and let himself be led into the chaos.

Goten walked his date to her door and they stood for a moment awkwardly, neither wanting the night to end so soon.

"May I?"

His companion shivered slightly as he brushed her dark hair back from her face, his fingers brushing the side of her neck, then she grinned up at him cheekily.

"I don't know Mr Son. I'd like to know exactly what I'm getting myself into..."

He pulled back slightly and searched her eyes but there was no hint of seriousness. They sparkled with laughter as she continued, "Can you guarantee me that you will be able to stop with just a kiss?"

Goten didn't pause for a second longer, swooping in to claim her lips as he had wanted to all night. She was responsive and when they finally parted it was with reluctance on both sides. Goten rested his forehead against hers, eyes darkened with an emotion Bra didn't care to name. His voice was low, sending an odd shiver of excitement down her spine.

"So, going to invite a fellow in for coffee?"

She nodded and fished for her key in her bag, Goten's eyes on her making her clumsy. His hand was on her lower back as she turned the key in the lock and then he was kissing her again as they stumbled over the threshold. Her hands were tangled in his hair, his pulling on her hips and she couldn't think about anything else.

Marron lay on top of the covers next to her son, resting on one elbow as he regaled her with his stories from the day. Never mind that Marron had been there to see most of them. Marron smiled softly as she watched the animation on his face as he spoke.

"And then Daddy throwed the hoop and he won!"

"He threw the hoop" Marron corrected gently.

Chase continued his story, but eventually yawns began to intersperse themselves into the monologue and Marron could see him fighting to stop his eyelids from drooping.

"Okay baby, time to sleep"

He protested sleepily as she tucked him in, but Marron could see that he was fighting a losing battle.

"I love you Chase."

She bent over to kiss him on the cheek and he planted a kiss on her cheek as well.

"I love you too Mummy"

She turned his night-light on and flicked off the switch on the lamp next to the bed. Even in the dim light she could see Chase shifting into a comfortable position and settling down to sleep, his blanket clutched tightly in one hand and the stuffed rabbit Trunks had won tucked securely under one arm.

Marron wasn't even sure if she believed in the God she had been taught about at Sunday school anymore...but if he did exist she wanted to thank him for letting her find happiness again. And hope that he heard her prayer for it to last.

"Valese? You here?"

Goku stepped into the house and closed the door behind him with a quiet click.

His sister's house was really too big for just her and her daughter but, as much time as Goku spent there, he wasn't quite ready to give up his independence and move in with them. Valese had offered on more than one occasion and, in a way, there was no reason why he shouldn't. He adored Lila and he knew that it was tough for his sister to both run a business and look after her child. Neither of them were involved with anyone so there wouldn't be the problem of significant others but Goku couldn't bring himself to give up the privacy of his own place.

He and his sister had always had an odd relationship; very close in some ways but almost detached in others. They could always tell when something was bothering the other, but that didn't mean that they would ever talk about it.

He made his way upstairs slowly, examining each of the photos his sister had on display. Most of them were portraits of strangers but she had a knack of drawing out a little something that captured a little of the person's personality and gave each photo a life of its own. Some were candid shots from when she had travelled all over Europe with her then-boyfriend...one was even of the two of them, obviously taken from arms-length and showing Valese nuzzling her companion's cheek fondly.

Goku had never been an optimist but he found it hard to fathom how a relationship so filled with love had left his sister a single parent...yet she never let it get her down, simply turning it back on him by saying that even the pain of it ending wasn't enough to cancel out the happiness they had shared. The way she said it made Goku wonder sometimes if she thought he was the unlucky one because he was yet to experience what his sister called 'a love to overpower all reason'.

It wasn't that he hadn't been in relationships – he had – but they had never lasted long enough to even think about the fairy-tale ending Valese seemed to consider everyone's right. Still, he begged to differ, the length of a relationship had nothing to do with the intensity and just because a relationship didn't lead to a fairy-tale ending didn't mean that it hadn't been true love. A love that left one feeling like half a person when it ended...that he knew about.

Seeing Marron and Trunks interacting had started him thinking about it again; on paper they seemed an unlikely couple but Valese had been planning their wedding since the first time she had met them...and sometimes Goku thought he could see it too. Just something small in the way they looked at each other; something they probably weren't even aware was there yet. It made Goku wonder how it would feel to be looked at the way Marron sometimes looked at Trunks when she thought she wasn't being observed. He wondered if Trunks would follow protocol and allow everything to go back to the way it had been before after the Satan couple left...and that thought made him angry. He knew his friend well enough to know that it would take a lot to make him take action...and he could only guess that it would also take a lot for Marron to trust Trunks enough to push him to take that action. And in the middle of the whole mess was Chase who could so easily be hurt...

Goku leaned forward in the dim light to examine the photo of Trunks and Marron that Valese had on display. It too was evidently a candid shot, Marron looking to Trunks for guidance and he giving her the reassurance she needed without saying a thing, more a relaxing of his normal expression than a smile but it was there nevertheless. Goku felt a sudden surge of jealousy – if he had those eyes on him he would be sure to do whatever it took to make them smile and if Trunks didn't he would have to answer to him.

Videl minimized her screen guiltily as Gohan came out of the bathroom and wrapped his arms over her shoulders. He didn't seem to notice anything odd or if he did he didn't say anything but she knew he would disapprove of the lengths she was going to to satisfy her curiosity about the couple they were staying with.

"You almost done?"

Videl nodded, "Just a few more minutes."

As Gohan turned to go to bed Videl closed the website she had been on and added yet another piece to the puzzle in her head. No matter how she looked at it something wasn't adding up...why had nobody in the company known that Marron was Trunks's wife until two weeks before she and Gohan arrived?

Marron slid into bed and turned out the light, smiling as Trunks's arms immediately wrapped around her in the darkness and pulled her close. She sighed contentedly and responded by bringing her own arms up to latch onto his. Her smile grew wider as she thought of how much Trunks's reputation would suffer if everyone knew how much he enjoyed cuddling...for there really was no other way to describe it. Feeling a little bold, she turned towards him and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you for tonight Trunks. I really had fun."

Even in the darkness she could see his slow smile and his arms tightened around her as she once again settled down with her back to him.

He brushed her hair to one side and pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck, "Anytime"

Marron ticked another day off on her mental calendar; six days down, two and a half to go and with the hope of something real at the end of their charade it felt as if nothing could go wrong.

Day 7: Thursday

This was it; the final day of negotiations. Things had been going well but Trunks knew that he wouldn't be able to relax until the deal was done and dusted; he had seen too many of them fall through at the last moment to be complacent.

Marron was moving about behind him, quietly getting ready and her presence soothed him in a way he hadn't thought possible. She was so much more optimistic than him and it was somewhat infectious, even when she wasn't speaking. Trunks knotted his tie for the third time, finally satisfied with the length, and turned away from the mirror. Marron was seated at the dressing table fastening a necklace around her neck, but she caught Trunks's eyes in the mirror and smiled. Caught off guard he smiled back but didn't speak; he didn't need to ask to know that she was probably as worried as he was.

Marron spoke, her voice quiet, "You'll get it Trunks. I know you will"

He nodded, then turned back to gathering his items for the day. He really hoped that she was right.

Marron smiled as she entered her office space, waving at the girl across from her as she sat down. Perhaps she should feel guilty but the closer the end of the charade came the more she felt the imminent relief of the pressure it was putting on herself and Trunks. He had been nervous that morning, just like her, but Marron was a natural optimist and she was hoping that some of her attitude would rub off on Trunks. Her inbox was full; just what she wanted to take her mind off what was happening in the conference room just down the corridor. Pushing her hair back from her face she prepared to get stuck in.

Anna, the girl beside her, tapped on the partition between their desks before leaning around.

She looked a little embarrassed,

"Marron. I know that this is a random question, but how long have you and Mr Briefs been married for?"

Marron blanked for a second, before recovering, "Almost five years now"

Anna let out a small sound of surprise, "So you must have got married straight after finishing high school, right?"

Marron nodded, her brain still scrambling for details to pad out her story, "Yes, the year after, when Trunks was at university"

"That must have been so strange!"

Marron nodded again, feeling miserable.

She hated lying; especially to someone who she could soon consider a friend...would she be able to salvage the situation after the Satan couple had left...or would she forever be considered untrustworthy?

She tuned back in as Anna continued,

"Mrs Satan was asking me about it yesterday but I was ashamed to admit that I didn't really know that much"

Marron tried to ignore her heart leaping in her chest at the sudden fear of being discovered...if either Gohan or Videl found out about the deception it would destroy Trunks's company. She tried to calm herself with logic, hiding her agitation behind a smile as she continued to chat to her workmate.

She had no reason to believe that Videl suspected them and with the end in sight all she could do was play her role and hope for the best.

Goku absentmindedly stabbed the corner of his pages with a compass.

He was checking over their ledger sheets in preparation for an external review and had come across two problems; two rather large problems. One was the simple fact that something, somewhere wasn't adding up so there was money somewhere that hadn't been accounted for and he had to find it. That was nothing new; a problem he was long sued to having to solve.

But the other problem...the other was Marron, or to be more specific the money that they were paying Marron. The first payment could be explained; it was simply included in the costs of redecorating Trunks's house and various other preparations related to the Satan's visit. However, the following ones were going to be more of a problem. Costs such as the car rental had to be accounted for and proved through invoices and receipts.

Further staff recruited or relocated for their purposes could also be listed...but wouldn't an external auditor find it odd that they were paying the apparent wife of their boss so much? In any company it would stink of corruption...yet if they admitted that Marron was simply employed to fit the role of a wife it would be a public scandal and they would not only lose the deal with Satan Corporations but their reputation for integrity.

With a sigh Goku glanced at his watch and picked up the phone to ring Wufei... A frown creased his brow as he thought of Trunks negotiating for their future when it seemed that one wrong step could lead to everything toppling like a house of cards.

Wufei's phone rang just as he was locking his office door and he paused, uncharacteristically hesitating over whether to ignore it and head on to the meeting or go back in to answer it.

He scowled, maybe the tension of today being their last chance to settle the deal was getting to him more than he had thought. Decision made he stepped back inside and lifted the phone. His frown deepened rather than fading away.

"I understand. I'll deal with it after the meeting"

He hung up without saying goodbye and picked up his papers once more, filing away what Goku had said for future reference. For now he had to focus on backing Trunks up...after all, if they didn't get the deal, sorting out excuses for paying Marron would be the least of their worries.

Trunks tugged at his tie, suddenly feeling choked, and tried to think of the man waiting in the conference room as Gohan, rather than an opponent.

Gohan who he had been getting to know all week; Gohan who was a genuinely good person; Gohan who held the future of his company in one hand...it was no good, he was just making himself more nervous. Wufei hadn't arrived yet and Trunks couldn't help but wish that he would hurry up as standing on his own was letting his nerves take over. He had always hated waiting...and with a decision that could change their future in the balance, company would be more than welcome. Wufei would be both his support and the person who would make their agreement a reality by drafting their discussion into a legally binding document.

Trunks just managed to control his flinch as Gohan appeared from behind and placed a hand on Trunks's shoulder. He was accompanied by a lawyer from his own subsidiary company, the Maguanac Corporation. The man was tall and so broad across the shoulders that he looked as if he would be more at home on the rugby pitch than constrained in a business suit and working in an office. He introduced himself as Rashid, Wufei arrived and they entered the conference room with the unspoken understanding that when they next emerged the deal would have been settled or destroyed.

Trunks watched the door close with a kind of quiet desperation; there was no escaping now.

Marron was stretching over the back of the computer chair when the door opened behind her. Chase was in the other room playing so she assumed it was him and she welcomed the break from work. She had come home early form the company building to make sure that she would be there when Trunks got back. She had already done all the preparation for a meal she knew he liked and picked fresh flowers from the garden...and now she was simply trying to keep herself occupied to break the tension of waiting.

Marron glanced over her shoulder but Chase didn't appear...Trunks stepped into the room quietly and she spun around to face him, suddenly concerned.

"What's wrong?"

He walked towards her without speaking and Marron began to become really concerned, "Trunks! What's the matter?"

He looked exhausted, almost stumbling as he knelt in front of her.

"Trunks..." Marron tried to see his face, but he wouldn't look at her.

"Trunks, please, you're scaring me"

His arms came around her waist and he hugged her tightly, finally speaking.

"Marron..."

She strained to hear his quiet voice, her heart speeding up as her mind raced through all the possibilities of what could have gone wrong.

He pulled away slightly and unzipped the top of his briefcase was hands that shook visibly. Marron took a deep breath and clutched his shoulders. What on earth had happened?

A few seconds that felt like hours later and he had extricated a single sheet of paper.

"Do you know what this is?"

Marron shook her head, too keyed up to vocalize an answer.

"This", Trunks's eyes became visible as he looked up into her face and Marron was startled at the raw emotion in them, "This is the future of my company!"

His face split into a grin and he laughed out loud before pulling Marron to her feet and throwing his arms around her properly, drawing her into a bone-breaking hug.

"We've got it Marron! We've closed the deal!"

Relief flooded through her so suddenly that she sagged in exhaustion, then she joined Trunks in his laughter, winding her arms around him too.

"Congratulations Trunks!"

His eyes met hers, the colour seeming brighter with his evident joy.

"Thank you Marron. Without you..." he trailed off, shaking his head slightly.

Marron shook her head too, suddenly embarrassed, but any answer she was planning was cut off when Trunks kissed her.

It wasn't the first time it had happened, but it was the first time that it had resulted out of such happiness on both their parts and Marron found herself wanting it to last forever. It wasn't hesitant or even lustful like previous ones, just an expression of pure joy.

She buried her face in Trunks's shoulder when they broke apart, feeling happier than she had in ages. He seemed just as reluctant to let go of her, resting his face on her head and inhaling deeply. As long as they could stay like this she would be happy.

Trunks smiled genuinely as Marron and Videl giggled together like schoolchildren in the back seat. The four of them had gone out to celebrate the signing of the deal, though the official party was set for the next night, Friday, after which the Satan's would return home.

They had all truly relaxed for the first time during the visit, the tension that had been there only obvious when it dispersed. They were just two young couples enjoying a night out together.

A few drinks had led into a few more drinks and Trunks had been surprised to discover just how low Marron's tolerance to alcohol was. He glanced at her again in the rearview mirror; she was really cute when she was tipsy, a happy and carefree Marron that he had only caught in glimpses since he first met her. Energy spilled off her in waves, her happiness infecting everyone around her whether they liked it or not.

Videl's tolerance didn't seem much better as she was still giggling uncontrollably, while Gohan also seemed happy but in a less obvious fashion. Trunks had restricted himself to one drink so as not to put a damper on the occasion by refusing entirely but he saw little point in ordering a taxi when they had the car.

It took a second for his passengers to realise that he had stopped outside the house, then they piled out of the car and moved up the front path in a bubble of laughter. Marron was still leaning into Videl on one side while Gohan put his arm around his wife's waist from the other. They looked like school friends, laughing together over a shared joke.

Trunks locked the car and followed them, still smiling softly as he watched Marron, now searching through her handbag for the door key.

Before she could find it the door opened to reveal Goku, their babysitter for the evening.

He took in their condition with an impassive look, then his mouth twitched upwards in something that could almost be called a smile, "I take it that it was a good night?"

They piled into the hallway, voices only slightly lowered in case they would wake Chase. Marron stood on one foot to unfasten the catch on one of her heels and swayed uncertainly before Goku caught her arm.

"Lean on me"

She smiled up at him, "Thank you Goku!"

Trunks fought down an uncomfortable surge of jealousy, turning instead to reply to Videl who had paused on the bottom step to say good night. He then went into the kitchen withGoku and Marron followed a second later. Marron was retelling the events of the night but it seemed that the exhaustion of the week was catching up with her. She stopped in the doorway and yawned suddenly, then smiled sheepishly when she realised that she had stopped in the middle of a sentence.

"I'm going to go to bed. Thank you for watching Chase Goku"

She threw him another smile and Trunks's hands tightened slightly on his glass, before he drank the rest of the water in one go. Marron's hand touched his arm hesitantly.

"Night night Trunks"

He nodded, "I'll be up soon"

"Night Goku"

Trunks could feel his friend watching him, but he didn't break the silence that had fallen since Marron had left the room. Trunks filled the glass again. He didn't really feel like speaking to Goku, not when the thought of Marron spending time with him made him want hurt something.

"I think I'm going to head to bed soon. Thanks for tonight"

Goku nodded, "Anytime"

He let himself out and Trunks raised a hand in farewell as Goku slid into his own car. Suddenly he felt really tired. He filled another glass of water for Marron, before checking that the back door was locked and going upstairs.

The first thing that greeted his eyes was Marron's scarf, tossed carelessly on the floor just inside the door. It wasn't like her...he followed the trail of clothing across the carpet until he found Marron, standing with her back to him in nothing but her underwear and just reaching up her back to unclasp her bra.

Trunks's cheeks blazed and he turned around quickly. Granted, she had her back to him so he wouldn't see anything he shouldn't but still...the quick glimpse he had caught was already starting his mind on trains of thought that he had been trying to avoid. He turned around again carefully as he heard the bathroom door click shut and placed a glass of water on each bedside cabinet. Hadn't she even noticed him come in?

He had just sat down and removed his shoes and socks when the door to the bathroom opened again and Marron stood framed in the light. Trunks stopped breathing for a second.

She was wearing a nightdress.

In all the time they had lived together she had always worn pyjamas...sometimes shorts, but usually full-length trousers with a shapeless t-shirt on top. Now, she was not only wearing a nightdress, but the flimsy material stopped halfway down her thighs and made it very obvious that she wasn't wearing anything underneath.

Trunks forced his thoughts away from the gutter, wondering if she had any idea just how much of her body the nightdress hinted at...how much it would make any hot-blooded male want to find out what was underneath. Trunks tried very hard to think about anything but the woman standing across from him...then panicked as she crossed the room towards him. Not pausing he went into the bathroom, faintly mumbling something about needing to go to the toilet.

He was hoping that Marron would be asleep by the time he came out but luck wasn't on his side. She had picked up the trail of clothing and was taking her earrings out and putting them away. When she heard Trunks she turned and gave him a dazzling smile, the kind of smile he had been jealous of Goku for receiving before. Trunks froze again, fighting with his traitorous eyes to look at nothing below her face, then he simply began concentrating on breathing normally when her hands found the bottom of his tie and tugged him lightly towards the bed. She giggled quietly, seeming amused by his reaction.

"Thank you for tonight. I had fun"

Trunks nodded mutely, stepping forward to release the tension on his tie. Marron responded by stepping back again until she was touching the end of the bed and forcing him to follow. It seemed as if she was playing a childish game, unaware of the effect she was having on Trunks. He took a deep breath and she tugged on his tie again, her foot catching and she fell, pulling him with her. Trunks managed to avoid crushing her by catching his weight on his arms but they were still uncomfortably close. Marron's eyes met Trunks's and her laughter faded to be replaced by something slightly more serious. Trunks swallowed nervously and tried to turn onto his side but Marron's hand was still clasped tightly around his tie.

"Trunks"

He met her eyes again, still trying to think of anything but how little separated their bodies from each other.

"Trunks, do you like me?"

Trunks's heart stopped for the third time that evening. Marron was so beautiful...her hair spread in a halo around her head and the hint of a smile that lurked in her eyes even as she asked him a question she would never have asked him if she were entirely sober.

Trunks decided on the simplest answer, staring into her eyes so she would know that he meant what he said, "Yes"

She smiled up at him so unrestrainedly that he had to smile back, "That's good"

"Why?"

"Because I think I like you too"

They stared at each other for a second, Marron's gaze open and honest while Trunks began to wonder if she would regret being so open the next morning.

She raised her face towards him and his lips gently met hers halfway. He was hesitant, questioning if this was what she wanted and Marron responded by pulling him closer. After a second Trunks pulled back; she hadn't drunk enough to be more than tipsy but he still didn't want to take advantage of her unexpected admission.

She had been so careful around him in the last few days that he had worried that he had misinterpreted her actions before the Satans arrived. Simply having her say she liked him had reawakened the hopes he had tried to bury...but it wouldn't be fair to take it any further, let alone safe considering how little she was wearing and how thin it was wearing his self-control.

She held onto his sleeve, "Trunks, please come to bed"

He nodded and undressed slowly before sliding under the covers. Marron immediately curled up next to him and sighed contentedly. "Night night Trunks"

She was asleep almost instantly, one arm across Trunks's midriff in a half-hug. Trunks sighed, then grinned down at the woman beside him, his own arm tightening around her. She shifted slightly in her sleep and Trunks's smile faded as he felt her body press up against his own.

He had no chance of extricating himself so he lay still and thought of cold showers until sleep claimed him as well.

When she woke in the morning Marron found herself pressed up against Trunks and she flushed slightly as she became aware of just how much she wasn't wearing. She would have to get up and get changed before he woke up and saw her in the daylight...failing that she could just pray that the earth would swallow her up to save the embarrassment of having to explain her actions.

Marron shifted but Trunks's arms didn't give her much room to manoeuvre. After a few more attempts she settled back down, and began to draw idle patterns across Trunks's bare chest as she thought about the night before.

Her actions had been embarrassing and out of character but had said he liked her...he had said he liked her and that simple admission made everything else seem insignificant. It wasn't exactly a declaration of undying love but at least it was proof that she wasn't going crazy and that there really was something between them.

She frowned down at the nightdress.

It had been a present from a distant relative she called aunt to save explaining how they were actually related. Marron remembered opening it on Christmas day with various members of her family scattered around watching her indulgently. She was the last child in the family and therefore the designated family pet.

Her mother had complained that the nightdress was hardly appropriate for a girl of Marron's age (she had been 17) and her aunt had argued back that every girl needed some beautiful undergarments and sleepwear even if she had nobody to show them too and besides, she couldn't expect Marron to be her little girl forever.

For all Marron knew the argument had continued after that, but she had excused herself to get a drink, cheeks blazing and pushed the nightdress to the back of her wardrobe where she thought it had remained. She didn't even remember packing it to bring to Trunks's house so she was going to blame Bra.

However she couldn't blame Bra for her decision to wear it the night before.

In a way it had been a challenge.

She had noticed the way Trunks looked at her sometimes although he tried to hide it and she had wanted to see if she could get a reaction from him.

With the help of a little alcohol that curiosity had been enough to make her decide to wear it and worry about the consequences later...but "later" was a lot sooner than she had thought...in fact, never would be too soon for her to have to explain herself to her pretend husband.

Trunks's arm tightening around her alerted her that he was awake and she looked up to meet his eyes, "Good morning"

"Good morning"

He looked down at her hand still tracing patterns on his chest and Marron stopped, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

Trunks shook his head, "It's okay"

Marron almost jumped as his fingers began to brush gently against her lower back and it took a second for her to realise that he was spelling out 'Good morning'

Still self-conscious she began to spell out, "How are you?", pausing as Trunks turned slightly more on his side towards her and began to trail his free hand up and down her arm. He carefully watched her reaction as his fingers raised goosebumps on her bare skin.

They both held their breath for a second as his fingers continued their journey across her shoulder and up her neck to caress her cheek. Starting to breathe again Marron traced her fingers across the outline of Trunks's collar bone and around the curve of his shoulder before following the line down the centre of his chest.

They were on uncharted territory, the connection being forged between them so delicate that it seemed as if a single sound or careless breath could destroy it.

Trunks continued his explorations by returning to Marron's back, watching her the entire time for any sign that he should stop.

She was breathing a little faster than usual, her eyes wide with nervousness but she hadn't stopped tracing patterns on his skin nor flinched away from his touch as he had half-expected. She was exploring each individual finger as if she wanted to memorize every callus, her touch light and shy.

Hesitantly Trunks moved his hand to her hip, letting his thumb brush across her stomach in an unspoken question. She shivered slightly but didn't pause in her own explorations, her fingers following the line of his arm up to whisper across his face.

He brushed his fingers across her stomach, pausing to draw circles around her belly button before returning to her hip and following a line down the outside of her thigh. He was waiting for her to protest at any moment but her only response was to trace down his side again before caressing his lower back just above the elastic of his boxers.

Trunks took a deep breath and tried to calm the reactions his body was having, but Marron didn't pause in her explorations.

The rational part of his body was screaming at him to stop before things got completely out of hand, but he couldn't tear himself away if he tried.

Marron shifted slightly and one of the straps of her nightdress slipped, revealing the beginning of the soft curve of one breast. Trunks stopped breathing, his eyes irresistibly drawn to an area he had previously banned himself from looking at.

Helplessly his hand followed his eyes and he began to trace along the strap where it had almost fallen off Marron's shoulder. She froze too, her eyes following the movement as his fingers dipped lower, following the neckline of the dress where it dipped between her breasts but resisting the urge to let his fingers wander underneath the material. He could see her nipples hardening under the thin fabric and felt his body reacting once again. Watching her face closely he draw a slow spiral around one breast ending with his thumb brushing across her erect nipple. She shuddered and a soft breath escaped her as her nipple hardened even more under his attentions.

Trunks moved to roll her onto her back and she met his lips eagerly as he bent his head towards her, her hands running up his arms to rest on his shoulders. It was intoxicating, her reaction incontrovertible proof that his attraction to her wasn't a one-sided thing.

Trunks didn't know where it would have ended if he hadn't heard the unmistakable sound of their bedroom door opening.

They broke apart quickly and he took a regretful second to seal the image of Marron in his mind before he turned around. Her hair was tousled, her cheeks flushed with heat and her lips swollen with his kisses...and he was most certainly not happy with whoever had decided to interrupt them...

Chase stood in the open doorway, his eyes moving back and forth in confusion between the two adults who were now sitting as far away from each other as they physically could without leaving the bed.

"Mummy. I'm hungry" he simply stated.

Marron's eyes flew to the clock beside the bed and the covers went flying back in her haste.

"We're going to be late!"

She flung on a bathrobe as she jumped out of bed and almost ran across the room to kiss Chase before clipping her hair up and disappearing into the bathroom.

"I'll be downstairs in 5 minutes sweetie, okay?"

Trunks was still sitting in the bed as he had a very good reason for not moving until he got his body under control.

Chase met his eyes curiously from the doorway, "What were you doing to Mummy?"

Trunks winced. He knew that the toddler wouldn't have seen anything to permanently scar him but he probably would have at least noticed that Trunks had practically been on top of his mother when he had opened the door.

Trunks scrambled for an answer, "I was just...saying good morning"

Chase nodded consideringly, "Okay"

When he dropped his gaze Trunks relaxed, hoping that the manner in which he had been saying "Good morning" would not be brought into question...but when Chase looked up again he could see that he had been mistaken.

"Buy why..." Chase began.

Trunks cut him off, wrapping his own bathrobe around him as he stood up.

"Come on, let's get some breakfast"

Thankfully Chase moved onto other topics as they traipsed downstairs and Trunks went through his ritual struggle with the childgate before giving up and lifting Chase over before climbing over himself.

Next time, if there was a next time, he would be making sure that the bedroom door was securely locked.

Marron shut the bathroom door tightly behind her and leaned against trying to regain her composure.

She was flushed, her heart beating faster than it had any right to be...and it was all because of Trunks.

He was making her feel things she had never expected to feel, arousing emotions and desires that she had thought long dead.

She wasn't entirely innocent of relationships; she had had a boyfriend near the end of high school and it had been wonderful for as long as it had lasted. She had even fancied herself in love before her world was turned upside down.

At first Marron had been shocked that anyone should notice her, then cautious, but soon she had begun to dream of marriage and a future that couldn't fail to be as happy as a first love. The feeling that someone outside of her family could care for her so much for just being herself was unbelievable...

The first time she had fallen asleep at his house her parents had given her the "talk", despite her reassurances that nothing had happened. And nothing had. After all, it was the first relationship for both of them and they were understandably nervous.

Even as time went on the closest they had gotten to the forbidden topic was a few awkward fumblings.

It hadn't seemed as important to Marron as it once had; after all, if they were going to get married anyway what did it really matter if they consummated the relationship before or after the wedding?

Perhaps, it things had been different, they might have gone further.

Perhaps, if things had been different, Marron's dreams would have become reality and she would now be happily married for real.

Or maybe the relationship would have ended with both of them moving on as she had heard happened so often with first loves.

But she never had a chance to find out.

Everything had changed when she had been attacked walking home late one night. Everyone told her she was stupid to do it but there were no buses and she couldn't afford a taxi; it was like a house fire in that she just didn't believe that it would happen to her.

Marron had never believed that she would be a victim.

Things changed after that, they had to.

Even her boyfriend's gentle affection was too much for her to handle and he struggled as well, not sure what to do or say to help her.

Even in that difficult situation he was a good guy and he tried his best to help her.

Maybe, even then, they could have worked something out...if Marron hadn't discovered that she was pregnant. Nobody had expected her to even consider keeping the baby but she had been adamant from the start. She would not take the life of a child, no matter how he had come into existence. In a way she was fascinated by the miracle her body had created; that even after the way she had been beaten, somehow, new life had resulted.

The thought of someone hurting Marron had already driven her boyfriend to the end of his patience and beyond. All he could see when he thought of the baby was the sign of the man who had hurt her and he couldn't accept it.

He had left and it had hurt. It had hurt so much that Marron still couldn't think of him without pain.

After that, Marron had turned all of her attention inwards, towards the baby that would become the reason for her existence.

She didn't blame her boyfriend; they were both too young to be responsible for a family and he had tried his best.

She heard news about him occasionally from her friends; he had begun dating another girl at university and they were engaged to be married. The day she had opened the wedding invitation...it had made her feel strangely empty inside. They who had once been so close were now almost strangers, simply exchanging social niceties when they spoke. Their break-up had become a taboo subject because no matter how many times Marron told him that she forgave him he had never been able to look her in the eye without guilt since.

But the important thing was that he was happy now and Marron tried to let that fact drown out her regrets. After all, she had Chase and she would never change her choice, even if she had had the option.

Her boyfriend had been her first love and she wasn't sure if thinking about him would ever stop hurting. But Chase had occupied every moment of her life so fully that she hadn't had much time to dwell on it.

It had been lonely, going to the meetings at the doctors on her own and carefully avoiding the questions thrown at her by the other women, curious about the father of her child.

It had been hard, hearing the vicious rumours behind her back at school without being able to set the record straight and watching her body change everyday as if it had become someone else's.

But it had all been worth it the moment she had set eyes on Chase. She had never seen anything more perfect.

Now, Trunks was confusing the balance she had achieved in her life.

All of the little things he did were making her feel...she didn't know. The small affectionate gestures he made, the softness in his eyes when he thought she wasn't looking...all the little things that she didn't even know if he was aware of himself. It made her want to give in, to let herself return his embrace or react to the heat in his eyes that he tried to keep hidden. But it also felt dangerous; she was scared even though she couldn't pinpoint exactly what she was scared of.

Trunks drew her in and made her want to run away at the same time.

Marron glanced at the digital clock on the shower radio and made sure her hair was clipped up out of the way before stepping into the shower. She would worry another day; right now she had to get ready for work and their last full day with the Satans.

Trunks would just have to wait.

"Were you making another me?"

Trunks choked on his coffee, staring at his adoptive son in confusion, "What?"

Gohan and Videl looked up from the newspaper and buttering toast respectively, while Marron continued washing up without turning around. Perhaps she hadn't heard him over the running water.

Chase continued, matter of fact, "This morning, when you were on top of Mummy, were you making another me?"

Marron swayed at the sink as all the blood in her body seemed to rush to her face. Trunks didn't seem to be faring much better as he spluttered an unintelligible reply while glowing a bright red.

Gohan hid a laugh behind his hand as Videl stepped in to salvage the situation.

"Chase, where did you get that idea?"

The toddler turned towards her, glad to be getting a sensible response from at least one of the adults.

"I heard it from Tommy. He said that his parents made him by lying on top of each other."

A choked sound came from Marron who was now slumped over the sink. Trunks's mouth opened and closed without sound as Gohan's shoulders shook from his restrained mirth.

"I thought Mummy and Daddy might be making another me...was I bad? Why do you want another me?"

The beginning of a whine in his voice broke Marron out of her embarrassment-induced coma and she crossed the kitchen to embrace her son, "Of course you haven't been bad you silly billy. Besides..." her blush intensified once again and she cleared her throat nervously, "Even if me and Daddy did...do that...we wouldn't make another one of you. There's only one of you."

Still seeming confused as to why his question had caused his mother to blush so much and his father to become speechless, Chase continued, "So what would happen?"

Marron didn't think she could get any redder, "Um you would get a little brother or sister"

Chase frowned for a second, then a wide grin broke out across his face.

"Can I choose?" he questioned excitedly. Trunks let his head fall to the kitchen table with a rather loud bang and Gohan lost his battle with his laughter, letting it ring out loudly in the kitchen that had previously been filled with uncomfortable silence.

Marron paused again, trying to find the words to answer her son, "Maybe in the future..." she said weakly.

Chase looked at her curiously, "So why was Daddy lying on top of you this morning?"

Marron sat down heavily on an empty seat, surprised that she was still conscious.

She glanced at Trunks for help but it was obvious that there was none forthcoming from that quarter. He still looked like he was in shock, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly in a way that reminded Marron rather cruelly of a goldfish.

Videl leaned across towards Chase once again, ignoring her husband who was still fit for nothing but laughing.

"That was just practice"

Marron felt the world swim around her as Videl's words registered. This conversation was not happening...with any luck she wouldn't be conscious to hear it going any further.

Chase cocked his head in an unspoken request for a more detailed explanation.

"Before Mummy and Daddy make you a little brother or sister they've got to practice a lot to make sure they can do it perfectly. When they've got the ingredients just right, you'll get to be a big brother. Isn't that right Gohan?"

She shot her husband an amused glance and he managed to control his laughter for long enough to nod affirmation. After a second of looking at the identical horror-filled looks that Trunks and Marron were giving her Videl gave up and joined him in laughing until her stomach hurt.

She was still giggling about it as they left for work, set off everytime she saw Trunks and Marron unable to meet the other's eyes without blushing.

Chase seemed entirely focused on listing the pros and cons of a brother and sister so that he would be ready to choose when the time came.

Videl almost...almost...felt sorry for Trunks and Marron. She got the impression that Chase didn't give up easily...she dissolved into laughter all over again; their faces had been priceless!

Goten made it halfway down the garden path before he had to go back for another goodbye kiss. Bra giggled, "Go on, you're going to be late! And make me late too!"

"I know, I know" Goten whined but he didn't loosen his hold or make any move to leave.

"I don't want to go to work"

"Me neither" Bra agreed, her amusement still apparent. They stood for a second longer, simply enjoying the closeness of the other, then Bra sighed and tried to pull away.

"I really need to go" she said regretfully.

Goten planted another kiss on her forehead, "Okay then. I guess I'll have to forgive you this once"

He smiled before bowing in a flowery manner.

"That is, if my lady will accompany me to the ball this evening?"

Bra giggled once again and gave Goten her hand, "With pleasure"

"Goku"

The tall man was snapped out of his thought by a voice coming from around knee level.

He blinked; Chase was sitting on the floor of the corridor, as comfortable as if he owned the place. It was a little disconcerting to be called so peremptorily by someone a fifth of his age...perhaps Chase had picked up some of his authoritative tone from Trunks?

Goku crouched down, "What are you doing here?"

"Upstairs is boring!" the toddler answered airily.

Goku fought the urge to laugh imagining the chaos that his disappearance would have caused, "Come on, we should go back because the nanny will be worried about you"

He held out a hand to help Chase up and he took it. Goku shortened his steps as he noticed Chase almost trotting to keep up with his normal ones. He didn't really know how to start a conversation with a five year old so he opted for silence...but the silence didn't last for long.

"Do you know how I can get a brother or a sister?"

Goku's steps faltered and he shot a curious glance at his companion, "Why do you want to know?"

"You know how to get parents...but Tommy said getting brothers and sisters was different."

"How so?" Goku was genuinely interested now. What on earth was going on inside Chase's head? Was he trying to find a way to make his impromptu family even bigger? And was this meeting in the hall purely chance or had Chase been looking for him, specifically to answer family-related questions?

"He said his parents made him by lying on top of each other and then they made him a little sister the same way"

Goku was instantly uncomfortable; surely sex education wasn't supposed to come up for at least another seven or eight years? Maybe even longer...and even if it did, surely he wasn't the best person to be dealing with it? Pretty much anyone else would be more qualified than him, of that he was sure. How did one even begin to explain...?

Before he could form a response Chase continued,

"Mrs Videl said that Mummy and Daddy were practicing to make me one"

Goku's thoughts ground to a halt, "Practicing...?" he repeated.

Chase nodded, matter-of-fact, "Yup, when Daddy was lying on top of Mummy this morning"

The young boy frowned as the atmosphere suddenly changed. Goku had stopped dead and was giving off the kind of aura Chase recognized from when he did something really, really bad...he would get this same feeling just before his Mummy yelled at him. She didn't yell very often so Chase knew she really meant it.

Chase shrank into himself, preparing for an apology, when the atmosphere cleared and Goku was smiling at him as if nothing had happened.

"Come on Chase, let's get you upstairs. You don't want to miss lunch, right?"

Unskilled at reading the masks of adults and disappointed that Goku wasn't able to give him any more information, Chase nodded. The journey back upstairs was almost entirely in silence.

Goten whistled as he walked into the company building, his mind on anything but work.

It was at times like these that he was really glad he had a secretary to keep him straight, reminding him where he was supposed to be and when, who he was talking to and why, plus arranging for lunch whenever he forgot and making the best coffee he had ever tasted.

He didn't know where he would be without her, although that was a prospect he was going to have to face soon as Ethel was nearing retirement age...if she had been forty years younger Goten was sure he would be married to her.

Wufei teased him about their relationship, alternately for being a stereotypical male who couldn't find his way out of a paper bag without a woman's help or for adopting Ethel as the mother he had never known. Perhaps, in some ways, the second statement had a lot of truth in it. Ethel had treated Goten like a slightly annoying son or grandson from the first moment he had met her...and he pandered to that image, letting her spoil him, even with things that he would usually be able to do on his own.

Besides, as he struck back at Wufei with; at least he had managed to hold onto a secretary. Wufei went through an average of one or two a year, sometimes more. The length of time they lasted seemed to correspond exactly with how stressed Wufei was at the time. Goten himself had been called in once or twice to deal with a hysterical trainee requesting a transfer somewhere, anywhere else.

As Wufei was currently secretary-less, Goten had already instructed the Human Resources Department to find him a "battleaxe". Wufei needed someone who would drive him as crazy as he would drive him or her. He had left it up to the Human Reseources Staff to find a way to put "battleaxe" into language suitable for a vacancies advertisement...then again, considering his success with Trunks and Marron, would it be worth trying a little matchmaking...?

The evil grin spreading across his face paused...first he had to balance that idea against how much pain he was likely to be in if Wufei found out...

He stepped back just in time as Goku came around the corner, brows drawn low across his eyes and evidently with a purpose in mind. He didn't even notice Goten plotting mischief...which usually meant that there was something up.

"Uh oh, Goku's on the warpath"

Goten checked his watch, then unfolded himself from the wall and began to follow his friend; wherever Goku was heading there were bound to be fireworks and, on a boring day in work, there were very few things that Goten enjoyed more.

1pm was a landmark; this time tomorrow the Satan couple would be gone and, technically, everything would go back to the way it had been before.

But that was oversimplifying matters; everyone involved knew that too many things had changed for the situation to simply revert.

The agreement between their company and the Satans signalled the beginning of what would hopefully be a healthy business relationship. With the Satan Corporation's support, other companies would become interested in trading with them...and it seemed as if prospects could only get bigger and better.

On a more personal level Marron and Chase had become a bigger part of all of their lives than any of them could have anticipated. She was tied to them by more than the terms of a business deal.

Wuei let his office chair swing gently side to side in an odd moment of inaction and contemplation.

Despite Trunks's skill at concealing his true feelings it was obvious to anyone who knew him that he was deeply invested in both Marron and her son; even if he tried to deny it, a return to the situation before they entered his life could not be implemented without pain. And yet the implications of trying to stay together were heavy for such a young relationship to bear...let alone outside circumstances that could prove troublesome, if not insurmountable.

Goten had championed Marron's case from the beginning of their entangled situation. She was a valuable employee and had the potential to be a valuable friend...however, if she and Trunks's relationship ended badly it could lead to further problems in the workplace...yet if she remained as both an employee and Trunks's significant other it could lead to conflicts between their personal and professional life.

Goku complicated things even further, whether he intended to do so or not. He had always been unpredictable but since Marron had come into their lives he had become even more so. He had gone from complete disapproval of Marron at the beginning to seeming as if he had appointed himself her guardian...and the feelings that had prompted such a change were a mystery.

Wufei didn't like mysteries.

He liked solid facts and predictable outcomes. To lead someone with such a large influence on their company to behave in such a fickle manner flagged Marron as dangerous, though perhaps it had been through no action of her own. Was this simply a matter of Goku supporting the underdog? Was it a continuation of the intense rivalry he and Trunks had always had with each other? Or was it something else?

Wufei stared up at the ceiling, long ago having given up any pretence of working.

He couldn't pretend that he wasn't glad that things would be over by this time tomorrow...but he also couldn't help the foreboding feeling that Videl and Gohan leaving would only be the beginning of an entirely new set of complications.

Videl squeezed Gohan's hand underneath the cafeteria table as she caught sight of the clock.

This time tomorrow they would be seated on a plane on their way back home. She had mixed feelings about it. Part of her couldn't wait to be back in their own home. Regardless of how kind Trunks and Marron had been, there was only so far that one could relax as a guest in someone's house...and it would be lovely to relax in their own space. The problem was that Videl knew that it wouldn't last long.

Gohan was a workaholic; she loved him and hated him for it. She wouldn't respect anyone who didn't give their all for their business as Gohan did...but sometimes she wished that he could give his all on fewer occasions and for fewer hours everyday. This trip had been a wake-up call for both of them, making them see just how easy it would be to drift apart if they didn't make the time to spend together.

Gohan squeezed back, his hand warm and comforting and Videl snuggled against his arm, too content to worry about being embarrassed by being affectionate in public. He was hers and she was his and she wouldn't want it any other way.

Goten checked his tie, hair and teeth in the rear view mirror before stepping out of the car and approaching the front door of Bra's house.

Tonight was the culmination of all that he and the other partners had worked for and he knew that he should be impressed by the magnitude of the occasion...but all he could think about was the woman waiting for him on the other side of the door.

His palms were sweating and he straightened his tie again just in case it had moved since he had checked it in the car.

He had never acted like this around a woman before; not that he had had a long string of girlfriends, but he had dated and it was more a statement of fact than arrogance to say that he was a good boyfriend. He knew the right compliments and when to pay them, when to push and when to back off...but with Bra it was different.

His accustomed smooth chat-up lines were suddenly glaringly insincere, so he had struck out into unfamiliar territory; sometimes he succeeded, sometimes he fell flat on his face. But he persevered because he wanted, above all, to show Bra that he really did mean what he said.

She opened the door and everything he had been planning to say deserted him.

Bra blushed as Goten's eyes scanned her with obvious appreciation, his blue eyes darkened a little with lust.

"Yum"

He finally breathed, his eyes snagging on the deep vee-shaped neckline. Bra fought the urge to hike the neckline a little higher...but Goten was so obviously appreciating the view that she was loath to spoil his fun. She couldn't help a giggle as well at his choice of words but the smile didn't last long.

"I'm not sure I can take you out looking like that"

Bra's face fell and she suddenly looked at the outfit with new eyes. Her first instincts had been right; the combination of deep red satin and a low-cut neckline had crossed the line from sexy into sluttish.

She turned to retreat back into the house but Goten caught her wrist, looking anxious.

"I didn't mean it like that...I'm just worried about all the other guys looking at you"

He was kicking himself; congratulations were in order for screwing up the date before it had even begun!

Bra's face relaxed but she still looked a little uncertain, "Are you sure it's okay?"

"You look gorgeous Bra,"

His brain told him to stop there, but being Goten he blundered on in, "Every man in the room is going to be wishing he could see what's underneath"

He had gathered Bra into a hug being careful of her hair, but now she stiffened against him and Goten hid a flinch.

Trust him and his big mouth...a muffled sound against his shoulder and his heart stopped. Had he made her cry?

"Hil..." He drew back uncertainly, "I'm sor..."

He was cut off as her lips found his own, her eyes sparkling with laughter rather than tears.

"Sometimes I like you a lot better when you shut up Goten Son"

For once in his life he couldn't think of a comeback...and Bra derailed his train of thought with another kiss before grabbing his hand and dragging him towards the car,

"Come on, let's go!"

Trunks glanced at his watch for what felt like the millionth time. He was bewildered; what on earth was taking Marron so long? They were going to be late if she took much longer.

She only had a dress to put on so he couldn't understand why she had been holed up in the bathroom for hours. It wasn't like she had his complicated choices of dinner jackets and tuxedos, ties and cravattes, etc.

Gohan had already knocked on the door to apologise for Videl taking so long, seeming unsurprised when Trunks had admitted that Marron wasn't ready either.

Trunks stood and walked across to the bathroom door to knock again, then paused. He knew that Marron hated being rushed...so he would give her another two minutes and then he was dragging her out, ready or not.

His annoyance disappeared when the door finally opened and he caught his first sight of his date for the evening.

She was stunning; there was no other word for it.

Marron smiled as she leaned against the door frame, enjoying the look on Trunks's face as he looked her up and down.

"What do you think?"

He swallowed and ran his tongue across his lips nervously, "You look...amazing"

His voice was quiet and Marron blushed, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious. She walked across to her side of the bed to gather up last minute things and put them in her handbag...she jumped as she felt Trunks come up behind her, then giggled nervously to try to hide the reaction. Marron could hear his smile in his voice,

"You really do look good"

"You too",

Marron turned to face him, trying not to blush again; he was so close and his proximity affected her more now than it had, after their interlude that morning.

Trunks's hands found her hips and she felt the gentle pressure of his fingers pulling her closer. Her own hands brushed up his chest and came to rest on his shoulders. She liked being held by Trunks, and that was all she had determined to think about instead of worrying about the future...at least for tonight so they could both enjoy the party.

Live in the moment; regrets were for later.

Trunks's nose brushed her forehead softly, trying to get her to raise her face and look at him. Marron stifled another giggle and turned any direction but the one he wanted. They were being silly, behaving like teenagers, but she liked it, especially after the stress of the last week. She enjoyed seeing this side to Trunks as well, the playfulness he kept so well-concealed from the rest of the world.

Eventually she gave in and looked up at Trunks. His eyes were warm as he looked back at her and Marron felt inexplicably happy. She should be worrying about what was going to happen after the Satan's left but it felt so good to just react without second-guessing every action. They were both in the same mood, almost suicidal; refusing to worry about tomorrow.

Because this was it; the grand finale, the celebration of their success and the true test of their façade.

Less than twenty-four hours until the charade would be over.

Trunks's lips found hers and Marron closed her eyes, winding her arms further around his neck as she responded. Kissing him was still a novelty; it made her feel secure yet somehow nervous all at once.

Trunks pulled away regretfully after a second; their guests would be waiting downstairs. Besides, he and Marron were still becoming comfortable around each other and he didn't want to push his luck and do anything to disrupt the delicate balance they were constructing.

He didn't expect Marron to make a small sound of protest and touch her lips to his once again.

Trunks froze; it was the first time that Marron had really initiated any intimacy and it made him want more.

His hands moved up her bare back, enjoying the feel of her skin and pressing her body against him. She kissed him back harder, her hands tangling in the hair at the base of his skull. They lost themselves in each other for a moment, then broke apart breathing a little heavier than before.

Marron stiffened slightly as she realised that Trunks's hands were resting a little lower than propriety allowed. He grinned as she pulled away to look at him indignantly and Marron couldn't help but smile back, even as she wondered at his unexpected light-heartedness. Her smile faltered as she wondered if it was because of the fact that things would be able to go back to normal after the Satan's left… but she forced her doubts down ruthlessly.

They deserved some fun after all the work they had put in so doubts could wait until tomorrow.

Trunks held his arm out to her with an exaggerated flourish and she took it; time for a party!

Videl watched Marron curiously as she circulated around the party, effortlessly slipping in and out of conversations.

She had had her doubts when she first met Marron, but now she was the perfect example of an executive wife. Videl found it hard to admit, but she was a little disquieted. She had spent the week getting to know Marron and Trunks and she had thought that she had a pretty good idea of their characters...but now Marron was showing a side of herself that Videl hadn't even imagined existed.

She was a natural diplomat, effortlessly charming everyone she spoke to and exerting more influence than Videl had given her credit for.

Even Trunks seemed as if he were more relaxed, if not entirely comfortable. It was understandable that they might have been acting differently because of the Satan couple living with them, but it made Videl wonder how much of what she knew of them was real and how much had been calculated...still, maybe that was a little harsh considering the amount of pressure Trunks and Marron had been under.

Perhaps the change was due to the negotiations being completed, and all that remained was the celebration.

Videl was no idiot; she knew that Trunks's company had been relying a lot more on their deal than her husband's. In fact, she had tried to discourage Gohan at first as she though he was risking too much on a company that was still untested. He had persuaded her that they also had a lot to gain from the deal and after visiting the company she had become convinced as well.

It was also a bonus that they had become so close with Trunks and Marron as she imagined they would be in close contact in the future.

Watching them she frowned at the feeling that had become frustratingly familiar that week...something just wasn't quite right and she still couldn't put her finger on what it was.

Her eyes narrowed as she watched Marron...someone who she would almost be ready to call a friend...but Videl could smell secrets like a bloodhound tracking wounded prey and she didn't like it one bit.

One way or another she would get to the bottom of things.

"Ah, Miss Dorlian. It's been a long time!"

Marron's eyes widened at the use of her real name and she quickly excused herself from the group where she was standing before turning to face the speaker.

"Vegeta!"

She smiled genuinely and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek while he patted her on the back fondly.

"How have you been? It's been forever!"

He smiled back, "Nothing's changed, just same old same old. And you?"

Across the dancefloor both Trunks and Videl frowned almost simultaneously as they saw Marron greet the tall man. How on earth was Marron on such familiar terms with Vegeta Khushrenada?

Marron's smile faded as she realized how complicated things could get.

"Vegeta"

She had known him since they were children so she hoped that he would agree to her request.

"I want you to do a favour for me"

Vegeta started to grin,ready to tease her for asking for a favour so quickly. But when he registered the serious look in Marron's eyes his face hardened,

"Is there something wrong?"

She shook her head vigorously, "Just, please, even if something seems a little strange please don't say anything. I promise that I'll explain everything later"

Vegeta frowned at her, before nodding slowly, "As long as you promise you're not in trouble"

She nodded back at him and smiled, "Thank you"

Just then an arm snaked around her waist and Vegeta followed it back to a man he knew very well. His eyes widened but he kept his silence, remembering Marron's strange request.

"Is everything okay Marron?"

"Of course"

She nodded, blushing slightly at the protectiveness in Trunks's voice and his stance, but she could see from Vegeta's sudden stiffness that he wasn't happy about the situation. This would require some delicate treading on a potential minefield...if she weren't careful Vegeta could ruin everything with just a few words

She turned back to her brother's friend.

"Vegeta. I'd like you to meet my husband, Trunks Briefs"

There was a moment of silence so empty it was almost deafening. Trunks's arm tightened on Marron's waist as the tension built up to unbearable levels.

Then Vegeta relaxed, "Well, that certainly wasn't mentioned in any of Milliardo's e-mails"

He let out a snort of laughter that didn't sound like it had anything to do with mirth, then stuck out his hand, "Nice to meet you again Mr Briefs"

Trunks took his hand but it didn't completely dispel the tension between them.

Marron was flustered, trying to somehow defuse the strain before it exploded,

"Vegeta is my brother's best friend. We've known each other for years. Kind of funny that we would bump into each other like this"

She knew that she was babbling, her nerves taking over.

Trunks nodded once and replaced his arm around her waist. Marron could feel Vegeta's eyes on it and racked her brain for a way to salvage the situation. Trunks and Vegeta in one room was only a step away from her brother and Trunks in the same room in terms of how quickly it could go very very wrong. To Milliardo and Vegeta she would always be the little sister and any man wanting her would have to go through them first.

As if answering her prayer for a distraction, another joined their party.

"Nice to see you again Mr Khushrenada"

Videl's slim hand reached out and Vegeta took it like the gentleman he was, bowing as he kissed it lightly.

"And you Mrs Satan. I trust you are well?"

The conversation moved on from there and Marron tried not to let her relief show on her face. There were so many things that could go wrong! Trunks's hand tightened on her waist and Marron excused herself. Trieze caught her eye as she left and Marron sighed. She wouldn't have any peace from him until she had answered all of his questions, and he wouldn't be satisfied until he had squeezed everything out of her.

What if Milliardo heard about it from him? Her life would be forfeit!

Trunks's arm tightened around her waist again and he leant closer.

"You didn't tell me you knew Vegeta Khushrenada!"

Trunks's voice was low so she knew that she would be the only one to hear it. He sounded a little annoyed so Marron drew herself up in defence.

"He's a friend of my brother's. How could I know he would turn up tonight?"

Trunks's grip relaxed slightly, "I know, I'm sorry. It was just a bit of shock. You know he was my major competitor in this deal?"

Marron had to shake her head, trying not to imagine how easily her connection with Vegeta could have ruined everything. She had had no idea.

Trunks looked down at the ground fixedly, obviously imagining the worst and Marron turned to face him.

"Trunks, it's okay. He's not going to say anything"

She sighed suddenly, "He did make me promise him some answers though"

Trunks's head shot up, "What are you going to tell him?"

She touched his cheek, following it up with a quick kiss, "Trust me. I'll work something out"

As she turned to go Trunks's hand caught her wrist.

"Marron, I..."

She waited patiently, smiling fondly as he shook his head and let her go.

"Never mind"

Marron stepped closer to him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. She had no idea what was giving her the courage to do it not once, but twice today. Maybe it was the relief of knowing that they had succeeded, against all the odds.

She smiled at Trunks,

"Make sure you save a dance for me later"

Trunks looked up to protest but she was already gone. He smiled, then flushed slightly at the realization that there were quite a few people around them who had seen their little exchange. Trunks straightened his tie though it didn't really need it and strode off to get a drink. His reputation as a lone wolf would definitely be taking some hits tonight…but he found that he didn't really care.

True, it wasn't like him to leave everything up to someone else but he really did trust Marron; somehow he believed her when she said that everything would be alright. Was optimism contagious? Certainly hers was.

Videl's smile turned predatory as Marron and Trunks disappeared into the crowd and she turned back towards her prey. He met her gaze with a challenge of his own.

"So, Mr Khushrenada, how exactly do you know Mrs Briefs?"

**Chapter 24: Unravelling**

Wufei lifted his drink off the bar and turned back towards the dancefloor. Goku was a little further down, leaning against the bar and glaring at something or someone across the room. Wufei followed his line of vision to Trunks's arm wrapped around Marron's bare back...one eyebrow raised he took a sip of his drink.

This could be interesting; did Goku like Marron or was there some other reason for his death glare?

He sidled down the bar but Goku didn't even break the stare to acknowledge him.

"Is there a reason you're glaring at Briefs as if he killed your cat?"

Goku turned towards him but his face didn't clear, "What do you want?"

Wufei held his hands up in false surrender as he shook his head,

"Just wondering...I'm sure that I'm not the only one who's noticed...and tonight's supposed to all about us showing a united front"

If anything Goku's glare darkened, then he turned and stalked away.

Wufei shrugged and finished his drink. Arguments between the four of them were nothing new and it was none of his business at the end of the day, not unless it became something that could interfere in business.

Still, there was never any harm in a little information-gathering when his friends were involved. He nodded to the barman for a refill and began to investigate.

Videl's smile turned slightly predatory as Trunks and Marron left her alone with Vegeta.

Instead of being intimidated he grinned back.

Though distant family they were little more than acquaintances. Despite this they had a moment of perfect understanding. He was a dangerous man, unpredictable and powerful, but Videl was no pushover either. If he chose to underestimate here it would be his downfall. One way or another she would get the information she needed.

"I wasn't aware you knew Mrs Briefs..."

Videl fished for information, knowing that Vegeta would hear her emphasis on Marron's name.

Vegeta didn't seem phased at all, "Yes, of course. Her brother and I go back a long time"

Videl's brain was working a mile a minute, trying to work out if Vegeta knew something and was deliberately trying to distract her...or if Marron's brother could somehow help to explain what smelled funny about their marriage.

Marron had never mentioned a brother, yet she and Vegeta were evidently close. Videl followed the logical steps: Vegeta's family moved in powerful circles, which pointed towards both Marron and her brother being people of consequence.

Granted there was a chance that they were simply friends from school...yet she had never heard a Dorlian family being mentioned. And if they were in a position to be close to the Khushrenada's she was sure that she would have heard something, especially as her own family was distantly related. Not only that but, if the Dorlians and the Khushrenadas were so close what was Marron doing married to their biggest competitor?

She clamped down on her facial expression as she noticed Vegeta watching her, his mouth quirked upwards in what could only be amusement.

He seemed to be enjoying her confusion,

"You know Milliardo Peacecraft?"

Videl couldn't help the shocked expression that crossed her face. Everyone knew the Peacecraft name, mostly because of the tragedy that had killed all but two members of a once large family. That and the rumours that the accident hadn't been an accident at all…suddenly a few pieces fell into place, although she still wasn't quite sure how they fitted into the larger picture.

"Marron's a Peacecraft. But Dorlian?"

"Her foster parents," Vegeta replied shortly, "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

He turned to reply to a middle-aged couple who had approached and Videl was effectively cut out of the conversation.

She didn't care – she had more than enough to think about with the information Vegeta had just revealed. Did it mean something? It wasn't until several minutes later that she realised that Vegeta had effectively distracted her from the topic of Marron and Trunks's relationship and her chances of catching him alone again that evening were slim.

She glanced at her watch; the night was still young and Videl had never been a quitter.

By the end of the night, whatever it took, she would have gotten to the bottom of the mystery.

A hand on his arm...and Trunks turned to find Marron standing next to him. Her face was slightly flushed though he couldn't tell if it was from the heat in the room, alcohol or some other reason.

"Um..." her flush deepened as she spoke, still avoiding his eyes.

"Is there something wrong?",

he spoke in a low voice so nobody around them would hear, his imagination already leading him to think of the worst possible scenarios.

Marron waved her hands in front of her in a gesture of negation, still seeming extremely nervous.

"I was wondering if..."

He lost the rest of her sentence as her voice fell too far for him to hear it.

"What?", he leaned forward, anxiety now gnawing at his stomach.

Marron beckoned for him to come closer and he obliged, just able to make out her next words.

"Can I have this dance?"

He was suddenly too hot, for a number of reasons which he didn't care to examine too closely.

Foremost were the kind of nerves he should have grown out of after high school...followed by a kind of embarrassment that he hadn't thought to ask her first.

He smiled genuinely and held out his hand, "May I?"

Marron let herself be led onto the dancefloor, hoping she was imagining the number of heads turning to watch them together. But as soon as Trunks's arms came around her she focused only on him; the man who had given her a second chance at happiness.

Regardless of what tomorrow could bring, nothing could change that.

Goten was just sliding closer to Bra to steal a sneaky kiss, when he spotted her. His jaw set and Bra's smile faltered.

"Is there something wrong?"

He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and tried to play down his reaction.

"It's nothing"

But his eyes were following someone on the dancefloor and Bra frowned.

Seeing that she wasn't fooled he elaborated slightly.

"I've just seen someone who could cause a problem."

He pushed himself to his feet as he continued, "I'll be right back."

Bra let out a frustrated huff as he walked away without so much as a backwards glance leaving her alone at their table.

Marron had been doing the necessary networking all evening and Valese had appointed herself in charge of the children. She was currently on the corner of a dancefloor trying to teach Chase how to waltz while balancing Lila on one hip. She seemed to be having a great time and Bra wished she had the confidence to join her.

Suddenly Bra felt very alone; she didn't really know anyone here and Marron seemed to fit into her role as if it had been made for her.

She looked around the room only to find that she wasn't the only one who didn't seem to be having the time of her life. In fact, both Goku and Wufei looked decidedly morose. Goku was back at the bar after having disappeared for a while but, if anything, his bad mood was even more obvious than it had been earlier.

Wufei seemed to be trying to appear fascinated while one of the company's elderly shareholders droned on…but from the parts of the conversation that Bra had overheard it seemed that the older man had forgotten to turn on his hearing aid…and Wufei's patience was wearing thin. If she were in a better mood herself she would probably have found it hilarious, but laughing seemed ill-advised when Wufei was still within earshot.

Gohan was another born diplomat, like Marron, and Bra wished she could relax enough around him to like him. But he was also intelligent and she was constantly worried that she was going to slip up and say something that would give the game away. How Marron had managed the stress of living with them for the past week she had no idea.

Videl seemed to be circulating the entire room with the ease of long practice but Bra couldn't help but be suspicious of her; she seemed far too interested in Marron and Trunks's marriage.

Despite Bra's own reservations about the situation she could never completely condemn something that made Marron happy...and the will-they-won't-they relationship between her and Trunks was the closest Marron had come to happiness in a long time.

For Chase too; he was already at an age where he was asking questions and, although Bra knew that Marron would never let him feel the lack of anything, a family would provide more stability for him.

More than anything she felt that Marron deserved the closest thing to a fairytale ending; she had already been through so much.

Trunks was a more difficult one to read; when she was with him Marron lit up and Bra imagined that she could see him softening too...but the charade for the Satan's had complicated matters.

For the sake of everyone involved Bra couldn't help but wish for it to be over so the truth could come out.

When she found Goten beside a petite blond girl she glared daggers at the back of his head, hoping he could somehow feel them. He was another problem she had to sort out; getting a straight answer out of him was like trying to squeeze blood out of a stone...and Bra was very fond of straight answers when it came to a relationship.

She narrowed her eyes as Goten led the other girl onto the dancefloor and called the waiter over. Two glasses of the complementary wine later, ostensibly for herself and her date and she was ready to go and reclaim her date. With drinks on the house she didn't need Goten with her to have a good night, but there was no way she was sitting back and letting someone else take him.

And while she was at it she might as well do something to help Trunks and Marron on their way to getting together...and send Videl a few red herrings to keep her busy.

Bra grinned as she stood up: she had promised Chase that she would help him and if she did nothing else she always kept her promises.

"Really I couldn't have imagined Trunks Briefs as a married man but I must say she seems absolutely lovely"

Videl's interest sharpened, "You haven't met her before?"

The speaker was the wife of the acting head of one of Vegeta Khushrenada's subsidiary companies and Videl found it very odd that she hadn't met Marron previously. Granted, Trunks had a bit of a reputation of avoiding as many social occasions as he could without causing offence but surely even he couldn't have avoided them entirely?

"No, I think this may be her first social event although I believe she attended a conference in a professional capacity just last month. No mention then of her being Mrs Briefs, but the husband is renowned for keeping personal matters private"

Videl nodded in agreement, already planning the next stage of her investigation. If she could only catch Trunks on his own...

Goten tapped her on the shoulder before really planning what he was going to say so he had a moment of being embarrassingly tongue-tied before he could get his thoughts in order.

Sylvia just stood there with one impeccable brow raised and the barest of smiles touching her lips. She had always been like that; she could make anyone feel scruffy and uncomfortable without saying a word.

After a few seconds she held out her hand for him to take.

"Good evening Goten. Or is it Mr Son now?"

He shook his head, "Whatever you like."

Her gaze turned thoughtful, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

There was an edge to her voice that Goten wasn't sure he liked. Sylvia could cause major problems if she chose to and he was hoping that she didn't choose to...he had no idea how to prevent the disaster it could cause.

Goten nodded, not really listening as shecontinued the conversation; the most important thing was how to keep her away from anyone who mattered in case she messed things up. Perhaps he could invite her outside for a walk?

Unfortunately she continued without giving him the chance,

"I'm here as Oemreg's date of course...but I have to admit that I was very surprised to see the invitation."

Goten looked around but luckily nobody seemed to be paying any attention to them or theri conversation that was rapidly straying into dangerous areas.

Still, he could feel someone's gaze burning a hole between his shoulder blades so he shifted uncomfortably, hoping for the first time that it was a jealous date rather than anyone who had worked out Sylvia's connection to their company.

Sylvia asked the dreaded question,

"So, how long exactly has Trunks been married? He mustn't have wasted much time after I left."

There was no mistaking the bitterness in her voice now and Goten began to sweat.

Luckily she didn't yet seem aware of Chase's existence or things would really get messy. His third birthday would have fallen quite squarely in the middle of time Trunks and Sylvia had been together...and it could cause a disaster.

Goten held back a groan, imagining female hysterics and the sheer bad luck of someone he had never thought he would see again turning up at just the wrong moment.

Goten answered vaguely, hoping it would appease her, "It's been a few years now."

"A few years?" Her voice rose sharply, then she smoothed her expression and looked around in case anyone had noticed.

The only visible sign of her anger was the slow flare of her nostrils. Goten watched it carefully as his brain ran damage control scenarios...short of recruiting the others to keep her away from anyone involved in the charade or kicking her out of the party he wasn't quite sure what to do.

Suddenly her attention snapped to the dancefloor, "Is that her?"

Goten turned to see Trunks and Marron together and his teeth began to hurt at the sweetness of it...no matter what either of them said there was an obvious attraction between them. Unfortunately it was also obvious to the rather displease lady he was standing next to.

He nodded and Sylvia's mouth set in a hard line before it quirked into a grin. He knew that grin, knew she was planning something, but was powerless to do anything; apart from picking her up and carrying her outside he was completely out of ideas.

She turned back to him, "Goten, dance with me."

It wasn't a question and he couldn't think of any better way to keep her where he could see her...Goten shrugged and headed out onto the dancefloor.

"Mr Son"

Goku swallowed his temper, inwardly cursing whoever had managed to find him.

He had purposefully sought out the darkest corner of the outdoor balustrade to indulge in his bad mood. he hadn't been able to catch Trunks alone all day, and even if he had he had no idea what he was going to confront him with; to do that he would first have to pinpoint his own reasons for objecting so strongly to Trunks and Marron's relationship. And that...that was something he was still trying to work out for himself.

He turned slowly and the air rushed out of his lungs; the man's face was certainly familiar but Goku had not expected to see him there.

Or ever again if he were completely honest.

"Dekim" he breathed, unable to hide his shock.

The older man clasped one of Goku's hands in both of his own in a gesture of kindness.

Goku fought the urge to tear his hands out of the grip, feeling nothing more than entrapment.

Just when he had hoped that he was free…

Dekim continued, the perfect image of a doting grandfather

"How have you been? And your sister?"

This was the man who had paid to put him through university and helped to support his sister when she was pregnant.

He was the closest thing to a father-figure in Goku's life. And someone who belonged to a period of life that Goku had thought he had put behind him a long time ago.

Some things were better left in the past where they belonged...but Dekim's presence made a joke of the life he had managed to build for himself

The fact that he was here tonight could only mean a few things, none of them good.

It seemed that Goku's loyalty was about to be tested.

"Good evening Trunks."

Trunks started, slightly embarrassed to be caught still holding onto Marron after the dance had finished.

They were standing by the side of the dancefloor and he had been enjoying their few moments of peace together. After so much polite conversation she seemed to understand his preference for silence.

Yet, neither of them had made a move to let go of the other after the dance...and though he would never admit it out loud he was becoming increasingly fond of Marron's backless dress. Marron had relaxed into his arm around her, one small hand clutching his jacket and her cheek rested against his chest. Another thing he would never admit was just how much he enjoyed being the subject of her affection...and being able to return it.

"You tired?"

Marron shook her head, still not moving from her position. Her cheeks were flushed, and he still had no better idea of why.

She spoke so quietly that Trunks had to lean closer to hear her.

"This is nice."

He had just begun trying to think of a reply to that when they were interrupted.

He turned to see one of the last people he had ever expected to see again, with Goten trailing behind, as evidently annoyed as he ever got in public.

Business mask firmly back in place Trunks held out his hand,

"Ms Noventa. A pleasure to see you."

Sylvia laughed and he saw for a second what had sparked his interest in her years previously.

But theirs had been a relationship doomed to failure before it even got off the ground; they were both too busy to see each other very often and they wanted different things. The only reason it had lasted as long as it had was because they saw each other so little that it took some time before they realised how little they had in common.

"Trunks, surely we're at least on a first-name basis?"

He nodded stiffly, then made a conscious effort to smile in what he hoped was a friendly manner. He didn't need Goten's agitation (obvious, luckily, only to him) to warn him that the situation required some delicacy. He would just have to explain things to Marron afterwards.

She surprised him by stepping forward and holding out her hand, "I'm Marron. Nice to meet you."

She spoke confidently, the perfect diplomat.

Sylvia smiled in return, although hers appeared more guarded, "Sylvia."

Marron smiled, "Of course, I've heard all about you from Trunks."

With some effort Trunks hid his shock, looking across at Goten to see a slow smile spreading across his face before he schooled it back to neutrality.

She was lying of course; Trunks had never mentioned Sylvia to her, but her natural diplomacy seemed to be coming to the fore once again. And with it, Trunks couldn't help but think that she may have salvaged a situation that could have caused them a lot of bother.

The two women chatted amiably for a few moments, then Marron excused herself to "let you and Trunks catch up."

Sylvia seemed a little surprised, but took the offer graciously. Goten shook his head in disbelief as he escorted Marron away.

"Perfectly done", Marron returned his grin with one of her own, hoping she had managed to hide her misgivings about one of Trunks's ex-girlfriend's turning up. It hadn't taken much for her to put two and two together when she registered Trunks and Goten's reactions.

Goten ticked off points on his hand,

"Forestall bitchy comments, make good impression, show that you're not threatened...perfect! You deserve a bonus just for that!"

Marron's smile faltered slightly, both due to the reminder that she was simply doing a job she had been paid to do and from the slight uncertainty whether or not she should feel threatened by Sylvia's presence...or if she even had a position to be threatened in the first place.

Ushering Goten back towards Bra she made her way towards the bar for a breather.

Except Goku was already there, and he didn't look happy. Marron faltered, but she was already almost at the bar so she couldn't turn around now and walk away without it seeming like she was trying to avoid him. Yet she had been hesitant about approaching him all night because he was evidently in a bad mood and she had a sneaking feeling it was something to do with her.

He seemed to have forsaken the complementary wine for something stronger and his hair shadowed his expression. He looked up when she approached but his smile was gone as quickly as it appeared, showing the lie it represented. The emotion in his eyes stopped her in her tracks and her stomach lurched with nerves as she realised that whatever it was that was upsetting him was bigger than she had imagined.

But she had never been a coward and she was not about to start; she pasted a smile on her face and stepped forward,

"Goku? How are you doing?"

She hoped that she wouldn't regret asking…and that the horrible feeling she had that everything was going to fall apart was just that, a feeling and nothing more.

Across the dancefloor Vegeta's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of Dekim, then he switched his glance back to the two at the bar.

He smiled humourlessly; now, things would definitely get interesting.


End file.
